SALVE  •  VENETIA 


SALVE  -  VENETIA 

GLEANINGS 
FROM    VENETIAN    HISTORY 


BY 

FRANCIS    MARION    CRAWFORD 


ff'fTll   225    ILLUSTRATIONS   BY  JOSEl'H 


I\    TWO    VOLl'MKS 
VOL.    I 


Xcto  Pork 
I'1.    MACMfEEAN    COMPANY 

LONDON  :    MACM1LI.AN    ,v    fO.,    LTI>. 

1906 


UNIVERSITY   OF  CALIFORNIA 
SANTA  BARBARA  CuLLEuE  LIBRARY 


CONTENTS 

FMiK 

SAI.VK   YKXKTIA!   .  .  i 

I.      THK    BECIXXIXGS  .......  9 

II.      THE    Lnn.i.    (ioLi)Kx   A CK      ...  .         24 

111.       THK    REPUBLIC    OK    SAINT    MARK       .  .  .  -35 

JV.      A  KNK'K    I'XDKR    THK    K\MIUKS    OF    PARTECIPA71O,    C.AN- 

niANO,   AM)    ORSKOKO        .  .  .  .  -59 

V.         A   KNICK     AM)     THK     FlRST     C'Rl'SADKS     .  .  .  '93 

\  1.      \KNKK   AM)    CONSTANTINOPLE  .  .  .  .124 

\  II.      THK    FOURTEENTH    CKXTVRY   ix    \KMCK    .  .  .160 

VIII.      Ox    MAXXKRS    AND    CKRTAIX    CUSTOMS    IN    THK    FOUR- 

TKKxrn    CKNTURV  ,  .  .  .  .  .257 

IX.      THK    FKAST    OF   THK    MARIKS    .....       278 

X.      THK    DOCKS   i\   THK   KARI.Y    PART  OF  THK   FOURTEENTH 

CENTURY       .  .  .  .  .  .  .288 

XI.      CONSPIRACY   OF    MARINO    FAI.IKRO     .  .  .      309 

XII.       THK    Srcx'K.ssoRs    OF    MARINO    FAKIKRO        ,  .  .       342 

XIII.       CARLO    XKNO  ,  .  .  „  .  •      3?i 

Xl\.       THK    \\"AR    OF    CHKX;<;IA          .  309 

X\.      \KN1CK   IN   THK   .FlFTKKX'FH    CKNTl'RY         .  .  .416 

THK   DOCKS   OF   YKXICK  ...  .49^ 

TAIU.F.  OF  THK   PRINCIPAL  DATKS  ix  \TKNF.TIAN  MISTORY      499 

BOOKS     CONSULTKI)  ...  .50! 

INDEX 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PLATES 

The  Salute      ....... 

Kvening  in  the  Lagoon       .... 

Midnight,  the  Lagoon        .... 

Hall  of  the  Globes,  Ducal  Palace         .  84 

The  I'iax/.ctta            ...                                  .  1 1 7 

A  White   Morning   from   S.    Georgio.      The  Cam- 
panile,  1 90  3    .           .           .           .           .           .  "            179 

When  the  Filing  Boats  arc  in    .                       .  "           204 

Clouds  of  Sunset      ......  "           207 

Pome  Ycneta  Marina          .....  "            249 

The  Pulpit,  St.   Mark's     .                                  .  296 

The  Chapel  of  S^.   Mark's           .           .           .  300 

A   Rainv  Night,  The  Rialto         .           .  "           307 

Door  of  the  Treasury,  Si.   Mark's        .  "           3oS 

The  Tombs  in  SS.   Giovanni  e  I'aolo   .            .            .  3  3  S 

The  \avc,  SS.   Giovanni  e  I'aolo           .            .            .  340 

The  Citv  in  the  Seas                     .           .                       .  "           400 


IN    TEXT 


From  Outside  the  Lido 
Rio  dclla  Pace 

The  Mi.-t>  gather  on  the  Lagoons 

vii 


Cl.l.  \M.\(iS    FROM    HISTORY 


I'Al.H 

S 


i  o 
i  i 

13 

i  6 


The  Appr<  iaeh  from   Me>tre 

iM.-li   B;i>kcis    . 

\  enirc  from  the  1  .i Jo 

Simp-  near  the   Riaho 
(  ir.inJ,   (.'ana',   near   Ria''o 
\   \\'a:cr  D.xir  near  S.    Bcnedett 

\arri  i\\    \\  a:er   I  ,ane 

On   the  (,i..,:eeea       . 

The  S;ep>  of  the  Sa'u'e      . 

The  Riva  at  Nighi  . 

S:.    Mark'-       . 

.\  (."na]-,\,  S-.    Mark'? 

The  I'uivh,  St.    Mark'.s      . 

S:.    Mark'        . 

Do-ir  of  St.    M 

l-'i    n    'he  da'!   r.  ,   S-.    Mark's     , 

T        (  ,r   ,:•    D      r\\  i;  ,   S:.    Mar!,' 

I         C'l  -  •  .  •    St.    \],  i    ' 

\  S!  rine,   S-.    Mark' 
T       (  ri    r    \\  ::    i    -.  ,   S;.    Mark' 
I         i  .    li.M-     a-   r]       Rh  i 

I'l  •     (  ,  '.      •    :'    •••-!!;    'hi     (  ', 

'I     •!',,•(  ) 

(  >';      t       I1  ,'    ';.     (,a 


2  4 
34 


4s 


ILLUSTRATIONS  ix 

I'.SGIi 

The  Clock  Tower  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  107 

The  Dogana  and  the  Salute         .  .  .  .  .  .11^ 

Chioggia  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 

S.   Pietro  in  Ca>te!lo  .  .  ,  .  .  .  . 

Pontc  Miilcantone    ,  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 

The  Salute      .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 

Fondamenta  S.  Girolamo  .  .  .157 

\  cnice  From  the  Lagoon    .  .  .  .  .  .142 

Campiello  S.  Giovanni       .  .  .          .  .       147 

Campo,  Santa    I  ermta        .....  .154 

The  IT/.i-e  of  Faliero,  I'onte  dei  S.  S.  Apo>toli      .  .  (  60 

The  Tiepolo  Palace  .  .  .  .  .  .161 

Hoats  off  the  Public  Garden         .  ...       167 

Court  of  Appeals,  Grand  Canal  .....       168 

The  Flags  riving  in  the  Pia/./.a     .  .  .  .  t  .       \~~ 

The  Campanile         .  ...  .178 

St.  Theodore  .  ...  i  8  z 

S.  Sevcro        .  .  .  .  t  .  .  .187 

S.   Pictro  in  Casrello  .  .  .  .  .  .  .193 

The  Circa'   Lamp,  St.   Mark's     .  .  .  „  .  .195 

The  Canarreggio      .  ,  ...      197 

The  House  of  the  Spirits  .  .  .       198 

S.    Paolo  .........       199 

The  Little  Rsli  Market     ...  ...      203 

OrF  the  Public  Gardens 209 

Rio  della  Pieta 215 

Rio  S.  Agostin  222 

Ri'j  Jena  Scconda     .  .  ,  .  .  .  .22" 

Calle  del  Spe/ier      ........ 

Rio  di  S.    Pantaleone 


/         •    ,    •'•       M    r:  i:  .     \liM 

I'/:  o         •  i 

i         -    \.      \  .  i    . 

!>  ]-   •  |)      •  ,  <  ,       •  , 

\'        •  -  :          . 

I'.llt   !         -.      \     •      ' 


ILLUSTRATIONS  xi 

I'A'.H 

Land  Gateway,  Palaz/o  Fosc'ari  .  .  .  .  .439 

Pala/.zo  Regina  di  Cipro    .......      446 

Ramo  Corte  della  Yida,  S.  Francesco  della  Vida     .  .  .455 

The  Frari        .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .457 

The  Choir  Screen,  Frari    .  .  .  .  .  .  .459 

S.   Rocco         .........      461 

Grand  Canal  looking  to  Canarreggio     .  .  .  .  .467 

Tombs  in  the  Frari  .  .  .  .  .  .  .475 

Ca  d'  Oro      .  .  .  .  .  .  '  .  48 1 

Entrance  to  S.  Zaccharia  .  .  .  .  .  .  .487 

The  Pia/./etta,  Alisty  Morning   ......      493 


SALVE    VEXETIA! 

V  i:\ici:  is  the  most  personal  of  all  cities  in  the  world, 
the  most  feminine,  the  most  comparable  to  a  woman, 
the  least  dependent,  for  her  individuality,  upon  her 
inhabitants,  ancient  or  modern.  Y\  hat  would  Rome 
he  without  the  memorv  of  the  C;esars  :  \\  hat  would 
Pans  be  without  the  Parisians:  \\hat  was  Constan- 
tinople like  before  it  was  1  urkish  :  I  he  imagination 
can  harclh'  picture  a  \  emce  different  from  her  present 
self  at  am  time  in  her  history.  Where  all  is  colour, 
the  more  brilliant  costumes  of  earlier  times  could  add 
but  little;  a  general  exodus  of  all  her  inhabitants  to-dav 
would  leave  almost  as  much  of  it  behind.  In  the  still 
canals  the  gorgeous  palaces  continually  ga/e  down  upon 
their  own  reflected  images  with  placid  satisfaction,  and 
look  with  calm  indifference  upon  the  changing  genera- 

VOL.  I.  —  h  I 


lions   <>f  nirii    ,uul    \\onu-n    tli.it    Lljuk'    upon    tin-   \vatiTS. 
'1'lu-  misr>  LUitluT  upon  tlu-  im  MiTious  lagoons  and  sink 


SALVK   VEXETIA!  3 

weeping,  dreaming,  singing  or  sighing,  living  her  own 
life  through  ages,  with  an  intensely  vital  personality 
which  time  has  hardly  modified,  and  is  altogether  power- 
less to  destroy.  Somehow  it  would  not  surprise  those 
who  know  her,  to  come  suddenly  upon  her  and  find 
that  all  human  lite  was  extinct  within  her,  while  her 


own  went  on,  strong  as  ever;  nor  vet,  in  the  other 
extreme,  would  it  seem  astonishing  it  all  that  has  heen 
should  begin  again,  as  though  it  had  never  ceased  to 
be,  it"  the  Bucentaur  swept  down  the  (Irand  Canal  to 
the  beat  ot  its  two  hundred  oars,  bearing  the  Doge  out 
to  wed  the  sea  with  gorgeous  train;  it  the  (ireat 
Council  began  to  sit  ai^ain  in  all  its  splendour;  if  the 


4 


Cl.r.AMNr.S    FROM    HISTORY 


1'ia/va  were  thronged  once  more  with  men  and  women 
from  tin-  pictures  nt  Pans  l>ordone,  I  mtoretto,  Paolo 
Veronese,  ami  I  irian;  it  Lastern  shipping  crowded  the 
entrance  to  the  (mideeca,  and  Kastern  merchants  tilled 
the  shad\  \\a\s  <>t  the  Mercena.  \\har  miracle  could 
seem  miraculous  in  \rincc,  rln.  citv  of  wonders? 

Ir  is  haul  nuk-t-il  to  recall  the-  beginnings  ot  the  cir\  , 
and  rhi'  rune  \\hen  a  tew  sand-ridges  ]ust  rose  above 
rhe  surface  ot  the  motionless  lagoon,  like 
r!ie  backs  of  clo/in^  \\lialc-s  in  a  summer 
sea.  I  he  fishermen  from  the-  mainland  saw  the  resem- 
blance too,  ;ind  called  them  'backs'  'dorsi'  <n\m^ 
some  of  them  names  which  like  '  Dorso  duro'  ha\c- 
citing  to  them  until  our  o\\  n  time,  and  will  perhaps 
h\e  on,  vcars  hence,  amono  other  generations  of  hsh- 
ermen  \\hen  \enice  shall  ha\e  disappeared  into  the 
\\aste  ot  sand  and  water,  out  of  winch  her  astonish- 
ing personalit\'  <j,i\-\\  into  beimj;,  and  in  \\lnch  it  has 
flourished  ami  sur\i\ed  nearh'  fifteen  centuries. 

\\  e  are  not  concerned  scientifically  with  the  origin 
of  the  Win-nan  people  or  of  their  name;  we  need  not 
L^o  back  \\ith  Roniamn  I  >  the  le<u-ndarv  da\s  of  the 
>cf\\een  \^ia  and  I'.uioiH',  in  rhe 

at     the    \elletiailS    \\el~e    ot     the    :j.lVaf 

took    the    side   ot     I  n>\     against    tin- 
it     matters    not     at     all     \\hether    the 
\  <  in  n.i  lit    thi    same   as   th>-    I'.iv-ti,   \\hether    Liieti 

'-'.  .  o    a    (  1  1  <  <  k    n  a  n  i  <  •   ^  i  ^  1  1  1  1  \  i  n  u.   t  h  o  ^  e   i  1  1  a  t    "  \\  e  n  t    in,'   the 
I  nt  i"!  i'  !•  i  •.     <)i  \\  !n  t  lu  r  it  came  I  roni  the  S\  riac  I  I  a  nula  , 
ii'n  aim,.    .:   'I'i'jiim.        Venice  did   not    hcjMn   undc-r  the 


lir-t    Lii'eat    striiLi 

•      of     pro\iiv_! 

>•".  ''man    race    a 
miiHtd      \tndes; 


EVENING    IN    THE    LAGOON 


1 


SALVE    VEXETIA!  5 

walls  of  Troy,  nor  even  in  the  great  Roman  consular 
province  of  the  mainland  that  bore  the  name  and 
handed  it  down.  Venice  began  to  exist  when  Europe 
rang  with  the  cry  of  fear  '  Lhe  Huns  are  upon  us  !' 
on  the  day  when  the  first  fugitives,  blind  with  terror, 
stumbled  ashore  upon  the  back  of  one  of  the  sand 
whales  in  the  lagoon,  and  dared  not  go  back. 

Venice  was  \  enice  from  the  first,  and  is  \  enice  still, 
a  person  in  our  imagination,  almost  more  than  a  place. 
To  most  people  her  name  does  not  instantly  suggest 
names  of  great  Venetians,  as  'Florence'  suggests  the 
Medici,  as  'Rome'  suggests  the  Caesars  and  the  Popes, 
as  'Pans'  suggests  Louis  XIV.  and  Bonaparte,  as 
"Constantinople'  suggests  the  Sultan  and  'Bagdad'  the 
Caliphs,  '\emce'  calls  up  a  dream  of  colour,  of  rich 
palaces  and  of  still  water,  and  at  the  name  there  are 
more  men  who  will  think  of  Shylock  and  Othello  than 
of  Enrico  Dandolo,  or  I  man,  or  Carlo  Zeno,  or  \  ittor 
Pisani.  \\  ithout  much  reading  and  some  study  it  is  al- 
most impossible  to  realise  that  \  enice  was  once  a  great 
European  power  and  a  weighty  element  in  the  alter- 
nating equilibrium  and  unrest  of  nations;  \  enice  seems 
to-dav  a  capital  without  a  countrv,  an  empress  without 
an  empire,  and  one  thinks  of  her  as  having  alwavs 
existed  simplv  in  order  to  be  alwavs  herself,  a  Venice 
for  \  enice's  sake,  as  it  were,  and  not  for  the  purpose  of 
exercising  anv  power,  nor  as  the  product  of  extraneous 
forces  concentrated  at  a  point  and  working  towards  a 
result. 

J  hese  considerations  mav  explain  the  charm  felt  by 


'. 


.ill  those  \\h<>  kno\\  her,  ;nul  the  attraction,  also,  which 
is  in  Midst  books  rh.it  treat  lu-r  as  an  artistic  and 
romantic  \\hole,  complete  in  herself,  to  In-  studied, 
admired,  and  perhaps  worshipped,  \\ith  only  an  occa- 
sional allusion  to  IHT  political  lnsror\  .  So,  too,  one 
may  account  tor  tin-  drv  dulness  and  imcharminj^  prosi- 
ness  of  most  hooks  that  profess  to  tell  the  histor\'  ot 
\  e.nce  impartially  and  justly.  I  here  is  no  such  thing 
as  impartial  history,  and  impartial  justice  is  an  empty 
phrase,  as  e\'er\'  la\\\er  knows.  Ir  is  onlv  the  second- 
rate  historian,  or  tin-  compiler  of  school  primers,  who 
dors  IK  it  take  one  suK-  or  the  other  in  the  srni^ides  he 
describes;  and  a  |iui'_H  \\lio  teds  n«  msrinctixe  svm- 
patlu  tor  n-jjir  a<j,amst  \\  ron^,  \\hile  as  \'et  but  halt 
pro\rd,  can  ne\ei  In  am  tiling  but  a  judicial  hack  ami 
a  I  e  LI  ; ;  I  machine. 

\\lio     seeks     true     j>oetr\',     s;nd      Rossi       \\rmn^     on 
\enice,  \\ill   tind  it   most    abundanth    in   the  i-arl\    mem- 
ories   (if    a    Christian    nation;    and    indeed 
t!ie   od    chronicles    a  iv    f  u! !    of    ir,   ot    ul\  Is, 
o|     i  .          :          heroic   t  ales.      (  )nl\'   d  ri-a  m    a    \\  Ink- 

i-\ei    tin       ello\\    p.r_:1"-    (1t    \luraton.   and    jirest  ntb    \'ou 

a    thousand    veai's   a <M> , 

i    I'll     i ' 1 1 > p  1 1    ii|    ;hi     b  in    \\a\es   that    lent    \  o u n <_^ 

11     pm  it  \  .    t  In  ir    brilhanc\  .    and    then     t  resh 

\  o  1 1  en   i  n  |  o  \    ;  i    p  a  LI  a  n    vision   <>  t 

1 1  d  d  e  n  1  \    out    o  t    tin     s  (  .  i    mto 

nl  on, 

•     •  it        •  '  •  •     i  h,    r  hi     lo\  d\    sin  ih    ot    i  he    u  i  rl 

•  •    •  • ;    i ! '  i     •  t    t  h  c 


MIDM1GH 


'HE    LA< 


SALVK   VENKTIA! 


reigning  queen,  and  heavenly  \  en  us  is  already  earthly 
Cleopatra. 

It  is  better  to  open  our  arms  gladly  to  the  beautiful 
when  she  comes  to  us,  than  to  prepare  our  dissecting 
instruments  as  soon  as  we  are  aware  ot  her  presence. 
Phidias  and  Praxiteles  were  ignorant  ot  medical  anat- 
omy; Thucvdides  knew  nothing  ot  'scientific'  methods 
in  histon  ;  the  Rhapsodists  were  not  grammarians. 
Xo  man  need  be  a  grammarian  to  love  Homer,  nor  a 
scientific  historian  if  he  would  be  thrilled  with  interest 
over  the  siege  ot  Syracuse,  nor  an  anatomist  when  he 
elects  to  dream  before  the  Hermes  of  Olvmpia. 

And  so  with  \enice;  she  is  a  form  ot  beauty,  and 
must  be  looked  upon  as  that  and  nothing  else;  not 
critically,  tor  criticism  means  comparison,  and  \  emce  is 
too  personal  and  individual,  and  too  unlike  other  cities 
to  be  fairly  compared  with  them;  not  coldly,  tor  she 
appeals  to  the-  senses,  and  to  the  human  heart,  and 
craves  a  little  warmth  ot  sympathy;  above  all,  not  in 
a  spirit  of  righteous  seventy,  tor  he  who  would  follow 
her  story  must  learn  to  forgive  her  almost  at  every 
step. 

She  has  paid  tor  her  mistakes  with  all  save  her 
inextinguishable  lite;  she  has  expiated  her  sins  of  ill- 
faith,  ot  injustice  and  ingratitude,  by  the  loss  ot  every- 
thing but  her  imperishable  charm;  the  power  and  the 
will  to  do  evil  are  gone  from  her  with  her  empire,  and 
her  name  stands  on  the  subject-roll  of  another's  king- 
dom; she  is  a  widowed  and  dethroned  (jueen,  she  is  a 
lonely  and  lovely  princess;  she  is  the  Andromeda  of 


ci  i  \M\(;S  I'koM  HISTORY 

Kui'ijH.  chained  tasr  to  her  island  and  trembling  in  tear 
of  t!u  monster  \hulern  Progress,  whose  terrible  roar  is 
heard  .ilivad\  troni  r!n  in-ar  mainland  of  Irak,  across 
rhe  prouvriii<_L  water,  \\ill  an\'  Perseus  conu-  do\\  n  in 
nine  to  sa\ e  her : 


THK    BEGINNINGS 

IN  the  beginning  the  river  washed  sand  and  mud  our 
through  the  shallow  water  at  the  two  mouths  of  the 
Brenta  ;  and  the  tide  fought  against  the  streams  at 
Hood,  so  that  the  silt  rose  up  in  bars,  but  at  ebb  tin- 
salt  water  rushed  out  again,  mingled  with  the  fresh, 
and  strong  turbid  currents  hollowed  channels  between 
the  banks,  leading  out  to  seaward,  until  the  islands  and 
bars  took  permanent  shape  and  the  currents  acquired 

9 


i  (,l  HAMNCS    FROM    HISTORY  i 

IrLllll.ir     ill  I  i  Vt  1'  His,     ill     ;iiul     olll",     het\\eell     Illlcl     amongst 

rlu-ni.  hi  tin  begin  miij*  the  spirit  ot  unborn  \emce 
sreim  ii  to  s.i\,  m<>re  truh'  than  Archimedes,  'dive  me 
.1  nl.hr  \\hereon  to  sr;nul,  ;uul  I  \\ill  m<>\r  tlu-  \\orld'; 


i-    ;iml   tin    ThKs   lu.i|x  J.    up   t!ic   s.nul   ;nul 
.1  di'\    1 1 !.i i  r  [or  lu-r  ,n  tin    iiiidst  ( .)  tlu    si  ;i. 

hallo\\    ha.sm,    v-  Mi^lil',    sli;ipi  tl    like 

o  n  \  i  \  1 1  \   making  .1   I  >  a  \    in  the  i  u  *  1 1 1 1  a  n  1 1 , 

i :  .  i    against    tin    o  |  n  •  n    .  r  a    h  \    1 1 1  c 

i  IK  1 1      I  ill  i,     hrarhcs,    \\  hu  h    a  re    lonn; 

1    '    .   •  iilistm;MiiNi  them   1 1    '  •    '  1 1    i  s  I  r  t  s 

i  ,i  pi     ili.it    rist     ;i  1  K  i\  (     I  lu     sii  rtari     In- re 


THE   BEGINNINGS 


ii 


and  there  within  the  confines  of  the  lagoon,  those  on 
which  Venice  stands,  and  1  orcello  and  Murano,  and 
others  which  make  a  miniature  archipelago,  ending  with 
Chioggia,  at  the  southern  point  of  the  crescent. 


I  his  archipelago  contains  twelve  principal  islands, 
some  of  which  were  inhabited  by  families  that  got  a 
living  hv  trading,  hy  hunting  and  hy  fishing,  selling 
hoth  fish  and  game  to  the  ships  that  phed  between 
Ravenna  and  Aquilcia. 

\  ery  earlv  the  jn-ople  of  the  latter  citv  had  made 
a  harbour  tor  their  vessels  on  the  island  ot  (irado, 
which  was  nearest  to  them,  and  the  Paduans  made  small 


ii  GLK. \\L\GS    FROM    IIIS'I'ORV  i 

ci  >ni  me  i vial  st  at  ions  on  the-  islands  of  Rialto  and  ( )li\  olo. 
\o\\  and  rlu-n  sonic  rich  man  from  the-  mainland  built 
himself  a  small  \illa  on  one  of  the  wooded  islets,  and 

came  rlurluT  for  his  pleasure  and  tor  snort.      I1  or  some 
i 

of"  these  islands  were  covered  \\ith  pine-trees  and  cane- 
brakes,  while  .some  were  muddy,  naturalh  sterile,  and 
inhospitable  ;  hut  the  early  settlers  had  soon  solulified 
and  modified  tin-  soil,  and  reduced  it  to  the  cultivation 
ot  [odder  for  cattle,  and  of  \ines. 

1  In-  archipelago  was  therefore  not  so  much  a  barren 
solitude  as  a  (jUKt  corner  in  very  troubled  times,  and 
\\hile  the  small  farmers  and  fishermen  knew  nothing  of 
ItaK's  miserable  condition,  the  rich  spoilsmen  who 
spent  a  little  time  there  were  "lad  to  forget  the  terrible 
state  of  things  in  their  own  *Mvat  world. 

1'or  since-  the  capital  of   the   Kmpire   had   been  trans- 
ferred to  Constantinople,   Italy  had  fallen  a  prev  to  the 
<M~eed    ot    barbarians,  and  the    pro\  nice    ot 
\enetia    had    been    left  under   the  very    in- 
termittent   protection    of    a    few    paid    troops    supposed 
to  be  commanded  hv  a  Count  or  'Corrector    appointed 

b\     the    I'.mpel'or. 

<  >n    flu     rirh    mainland    stood    the    cities    of    \enetia, 
\iinleia,     \ltinum,    I'adua,    and    main"    more;     and    the 


i  THE    BEGINNINGS  13 

and   intriinunir   Constantinople,   and    main"   a    Roman 

O  O  I  J 

noble  took  sanctuary  from  politics  on  the  enchanting 
shore,  to  dream  away  his  last  vears  in  a  luxurious 
philosophy  that  was  based  on  wealth  but  was  fed  on 
every  requirement  of  culture,  and  was  made  sweet  bv 
the  past  experience  of  danger  and  unrest. 


Then  came  the-  first  Cioths,  with  fire-  and  sword 
'more  fell  than  anguish,  hunger  or  the  sea'  and  then 
a  score  of  years  later  fair-haired  /Marie,  the 
Achilles  of"  the  North,  and,  like  Pelides, 
untiring,  wrathful,  inexorable,  bold,  \ ft  |ust,  according 
to  his  lights,  and  high-souled  it  not  high-minded,  destined 
first  to  terrible  defeat  at  Pollentia,  but  next  to  still  more 
awful  victorv,  and  soon  to  death  and  a  mvstenous  grave. 

Before  the  (joths  men  scattered  and  fled,  the  rich  to 
what  seemed  safety,  in  Rome,  the  poor  to  the  woods,  to 
the  hills,  to  the  wretched  islets  of  the  lagoon.  Back 


i4  (il  I.  \MNCS    FROM    HISTORY  i 


rlu  \  c.i  nil  to  the- n  \  dlas,  t  ln-;r  sea-haths  ;nul  rlu-ir  <M'o\  e-s, 
when  it  \\;i.s  sureh  known  that  i^rcat  \lanc  was  eleael 
ami  laul  to  his  n>\  al  re-st  in  the  heel  of  tin-  southern  river. 

1  he\  came  hack,  the-  poor  aiul  the  rich,  while  the 
world-worn,  luxurious,  highlv-eulti\  ateel  nun  of  tin- 
last  elavs  of  the  Lmpire  enioved  their  hunting  ami 
fishing  in  peace;  and  over  their  elahorate  dishes  and 
their  cups  of  spiced  (Jreek  \\nn-  the\'  (jiioted  to  each 
other  Martial's  Inn  >  : 

'^e    shores    of    Alrmum,    \  <.     that    vie    \\ith    I5aiae's 
\illas        thou    ^ro\  e,    that    sawest     Phaethon  s    her\    eiul 

and  Maiden  Sola,  fairest  of  wood-nymphs  thou, 
espoused  hesule  the  I'.u^anean  lakes  \\ith  I'aunus  of 
\nti-noi  s  Pailuan  land  and  thou,  Aquik-ia,  that 
re]oicest  in  1  a  in  a  \  us.  thine  o\\  n  n\  er,  sought  In  I  .eda's 
sons  \\here  Castor's  steed  dr. ink  of  the  se\en  waters 
^e  shall  he  unto  mine  old  am-  a  ha\en  and  resting- 
place,  it  hut  mine  ease-  ma\  ha\e  the  riidit  to  choose-. 

Illlt      \\lllle-     tlu\      repe-ate-el     tin      Hllelll      elegiacs     the\' 

re  nu- inhered  the-(ioths  uiie-asih  ,  tor  the   Km  pi  re  was  in 

n-    las]    veais    and    \\e-ak,    and    \ein-tia    \\a<    prote-cteel 

against    rhi    harianaiis   north   and  east    h\    a   handful  of 

atian     nii-i  e'l-na  ru-s.        \\hal     had     hapjn-in-d    one'e- 

1   .    aiiel    as   rile    V  ea  !'s   slipped    In  ,   e-ae'll 

oin  -ei  uied  to  hrui'j  n  ina  rei  ;  and  in  halt  a  e'ent  u  r\' 
atti  ;  \laric  •  fn  :  di  -cent,  tlu  ic  canii-  anothi  r  ciui- 
iiui  i  '  '  n  ,  :  '  •>•  <\<  i  han  r  h<  first,  \\  h>  mi  nun  called 


i  THE   BEGINNINGS  15 

fled  for  their  lives  into  the  cities.  Aquileia,  at  that 
time  the  second  city  of  Italy,  and  Padua,  Altinum  and 
others,  defended  themselves  and  fell,  and  the  people 
who  could  not  escape  perished  miserably. 

'I  his  is  history,  single  and  clear.  Hut  here  springs 
up  legend  and  says  that  Attila,  who  never  crossed  the 
Po,  laid  waste  all  I  uscany,  and  his  name  is  a  byword  of 
terror,  for  blood  and  massacre,  and  de- 

...  .  I >'  Ancona. 

struction  and  all  bestial  ferocity.  Legend 
savs,  too,  that  while  he  was  besieging  Aquileia,  the 
Hun  king  saw  trie  need  of  a  fort  on  high  ground, 
where  there  was  none;  and  that  in  three  days  his 
hordes  piled  up  the  hill  on  which  I  dine  stands,  bring- 
ing earth  in  their  helmets  and  shields  and  stones  on 
their  backs.  Then  the  Aquileians  attempted  to  flood 
the  countrv  and  drown  out  their  besiegers,  and  thev 
broke  through  the  dykes  that  kept  out  the  waters  of 
the  Piave;  but  the  Huns  cut  down  the  grove  of  Phae- 
thon  and  made  a  vast  dam  of  the  trees. 

It  is  also  told  by  Paul  the  Deacon  how  on  a  certain 
dav  Attila  came  too  near  the  walls,  spvmg  tor  a  weak 
point,  and  a  partv  of  the  besieged  folk  tell  upon  him 
unawares;  but  he  escaped,  with  his  bow  in  his  hand  and 
his  crooked  sword,  the  sword  of  a  Scythian  war-god, 
between  his  teeth,  'dire  flame  flashing  from  his  eyes,' 
and  all  that  his  enemies  had  of  him  was  his  crest. 

So  Aquileia  resisted  him  lon<r,  and  the  Huns  were 
discouraged,  until  Attila  saw  a  flight  of  storks  flving 
from  the  walls  and  knew  therein'  that  there  was  famine 
within. 


id  (il.I.  \M\(iS    FROM    HISTORY  i 

!  lu-iu   s;i\s  rlu-   Ic-geml,   rlu-   kins;  <>t    rhr     \(juileians, 
Mt-iKius,    \\lio    set-ins    to    In-    (intr     nnthical,     took 


i  THK    BEGINNINGS  17 

shield  on  the  ramparts,  to  represent  sentinels,  and  the 
Huns  were  deceived.  But  one  of  Atnla's  chief  warriors 
flew  his  hawk  at  the  walls,  and  it  settled  upon  the  head 
of  one  of  the  wooden  soldiers.  So,  when  the  Huns 
saw  that  the  sentinel  was  an  image  and  not  a  man,  they 
scaled  the  battlements  and  sacked  the  almost  deserted 
city  and  burned  it. 

It  is  told  also,  and  the  fishermen  of  those  waters 
still  believe  the  tale,  that  before  they  escaped  the 
Aquileians  dug  a  deep  well  and  hid  their  treasures  in 
it;  and  deeds  of  sale  of  land  are  extant,  dated  as  late 
as  the  year  iSoo,  in  which  the  seller  of  the  property 
reserved  his  right  to  the  legendary  treasure  well,  if  it 
should  ever  be  found.  The  truth  is,  however,  that 
after  the  destruction  of  the  great  city  and  the  dis- 
appearance of  the  Huns,  many  of  the  fugitives  went 
back  and  recovered  what  they  had  hidden. 

1  he  tide  of  legend  sweeps  down  the  coast  with  the 
wild  riders  to  Altinum,  where  mythical  King  [anus 
fights,  like  a  Roland,  on  a  steed  that  has  human  under- 
standing and  that  bears  him  out  of  .Attila's  reach,  half 
dead  of  his  wounds.  And  inland,  then,  towards  Padua, 
and  up  to  its  verv  walls,  the  heroes  right;  this  time 
Attila  is  wounded  and  is  saved  onlv  bv  his  horse's 
marvellous  speed,  but  on  the  next  dav  the  two  kings 
meet  again  in  the  presence  of  their  armies  to  decide  the 
war  in  single  combat. 

[anus  unhorses   Attila,  and    strikes   of}    his   ear,    and 
would  cut  off  his  head  too,  but  five  hundred   Hunnish 
knights  rush  to  the  rescue  of  their  king,  and    [anus  is 
V<M  .  i.—  .; 


prisniKT.  I5ur  Atrila's  ;inm-r  is  roused  against  them. 
I  he\  ha\e  broken  rhr  l;i\\s  o!  knightly  combat.  His 
honour  is  tarnished  because'  his  lite  is  saved.  I  o  clear 
it.  he  sets  kini;  [anus  tree  and  lianas  his  five  hundred 
kmidits  as  a  \  ast  sacrifice  tor  atonement.  I  hen  Padua 
is  i)\  erpou  cred  and  sacked  and  burned. 

I  he  nuth  ^oes  on  to  rhe  end  in  a  bla/e  (it  impos- 
sibihries.  In-fore  Rimim  \rnla  disguises  himself  as 
a  I1  reiich  pilgrim,  hides  a  poisoned  knife-  under  his  robe, 
and  steals  into  rhe  besieged  cir\'  to  murder  {anus.  lie 
finds  him  pla\  m^  at  dice  with  one  of  his  knights,  and 
armed  from  head  to  toot.  lie  interrupts  the  name, 
asks  questions,  toilets  himself,  shows  his  wolfish  teeth, 
and  Janus  recognises  him  bv  tin-  absence  of  tin-  one  ear 
lopped  nfl  at  I'adua.  In  an  instant  the  km^  and  the 
knight  DM  rpo\sei'  tin  uvat  Nun  and  sla\  him  on  the 
siit;  and  so  ends  Attda,  ami  the  mvth. 


(  )i  all  this  lem-nd  little  enough  remains,  and  that  is 
best  summed  up  in  the  m>\\  almost  forgotten  Inn- 
(iioted  b\  l'i  otessor  d'  Ancona  in  his  /,<  iv  //</<: 


I  hi  -i  >n  l\  da  lighter      amoimmam        ot  ensla\  eu  mothers 
thai    \\  a  >  e\  <  r  horn   t  ree.         I  i  u  \    \\  ell   s-i  id  of    \  >  nice. 
I  hi      >  In  i  I'Meli  s     till     t  he     t  rue     sti  ir\      '»t      the     first 

.     and     !)<>\\    the    people     (it     tl)(     pillaged     Cities 


i  THE    13 1-X I  INNINGS  19 

and  forthwith  made  huts  and  tabernacles  ot  branches  to 
shelter  the  relics  ot  the  saint.-,  which  thev  had  saved  as 
possessions  more  precious  than  their  household  goods  or 
little  hoards  ot  gold  and  silver.  But  the  people  them- 
selves beached  their  boars  high  and  dry  and  lived  in 
them,  sheltered  from  the  \\eather  only  bv  awnings.  ]iist 
as  the  last  ot  the  sailor  traders  si  ill  live 

K'oin.  i.  56-57. 

wherever    thev    find     a      market    on     the 

Calabnan   Miore ;    tor  they   hoped   to  go   back   to  their 

honu-s.      And  so  indeed  thev  did,  \\hen  the 

ill  11  1  "  1  5//-5''<f  -l-D- 

Huns    departed   at   last;    they    returned    to 

their  cities  and  rebuilt  the  battered  walls  ot  Aquileia  and 

Altinum,  trusting  to  dwell   in    peace.      But 

"         .  '  ,-".i  A.D. 

the  second  destruction  was  not  tar  of};  the 

Ostrogoths  came,   and   the    Lombards,   and   the   people 

fled  once  more,  never  to  reuirn. 

1  he  unknown  author  ot  the  Chronicle  ot  Alrmum 
carries  on  the  tale  in  a  most  ama/mg  compound  ot 
history,  fiction,  poetry  and  statistics.  More-  than  one 
scholar  has  indeed  been  tempted  to  surmise  that  this 
document  is  the  work  ot  several  writers. 

1' rom  them,  or  trom  the  one,  we  learn  something 
ot  the  circumstances  which  drove  the  inhabitants  ot 
Altinum  to  take  to  their  boats  and  seek  a  final  refuge 
in  the  lagoons;  and  tin-  story  ot  the  second  flight,  like 
that  ot  the  first,  is  fantastically  illuminated  by  the 
writer's  poetic  imagination. 

'In  the  davs  of  the  Bishop  Paul'  is  the  only  date 
the  Chronicle  gives,  and  doubtless  that  was  very  clear 
to  the  hrst  monk  who  took  down  the  manuscript 


(il.  I.  \\1NCS    FROM    HISTORY  i 

from  its  place  111  tin-  con\ent  hhrarv  ;nid  first  pored  over 
its  ci nHcius.  In  tin-  da\s,  therefore,  when  I'aul  was 
bishop  in  Altmum,  there  came  nut  of  the 
west  ;i  pestilence  of  cruel  pagans,  tierce 
Lomhards,  v,  ho  destroyed  cities  in  their  path  as  the 
flame  licks  up  tin-  grass,  ami  \\  ho  \\oulcl  smvlv  ha\e 
made  an  end  of  the  peaceful  people  of  Altinum  if 
Heaven  had  not  sent  si<ms  warning  them  to  escape. 
1'or  one  dav  Bishop  I'aul  looked  up>  to  the  towers 
and  turrets  of  the  citv  and  sa\\  that  thcj  hirds  \\hich  had 
their  uests  therein  \\cre  flving  round  ami  round  in  a<M- 
tation,  and  were  chirping  ami  chattering  and  cawing, 
each  after  his  kind,  as  if  thev  \\ere  gathered  together  in 
consultation.  l)iir  sudtlenh  ,  as  Paul  lookc-d,  the  hirds  all 
took  their  Hight  southwards;  ami  those  that  had  \<um^ 
which  could  not  vet  Hv,  carried  them  in  their  !>eaks. 

1  hi-  good  Bishop  knew  at  once  that  this  portent 
was  a  warning,  and  he  called  his  rlock  together  and  told 
what  he  had  seen.  1  hen  main  of  the  people,  nc\er 
douhtmg  hut  that  he  was  n<dit,  Hed  at  once  to\\ards 
Ra\enna,  and  to  Istna,  ami  to  the  citu-s  of  the  IVnta- 
pohs  ;  hut  rlu-  rest  tasted  three  davs  and  pra\'ed  that  (  ioil , 
In  another  si^n,  \\onld  sho\\  them  the  path  of  safetv. 

(  )n  the  thud  da\  .  rhrri  lore,  a  srroiiLL  and  clear  voice 
was  heard,  savins',  '  (  Io  un  into  the  LMeat  to\\i-r  and 
li'dk  tu\\;irds  tin  stars.'  \nd  rlu  \  \\eiit  up;  ami  the 
stars'  reflection1  made  paths  upon  the  water,  towards 
the  islands  1. 1  the  lagoons.  Mien  the  people  \\  ho  had 
remained  (died  their  hoats  \\ith  their  possessions  ;  ami 
ihi  |_Mi'>d  Ulsliop  I'aul  led  them,  and  tlli-  t\\o  ho|\ 


i  THE    BI'XJINMNGS  21 

priests  Geminianus  and  Maurus,  and  two  noble  knights, 
Arius  and  Arator;  and  they  came  safely  to  the  island 
of  Grado,  and  landed  there,  and  were  saved.  But  soon 
afterwards  they  spread  over  some  of  the  other  islands 
and  gave  names  to  these,  which  recalled  memories  ol 
their  old  home. 

Now,  as  has  been  pointed  out  already  in  speaking  of 
the  first  flight,  the  little  archipelago  was  by  no  means 
uninhabited.  Fishermen  lived  on  the  islands,  and  small 
farmers  and  some  herdsmen,  none  of  whom,  it  may  be 
supposed,  were  inclined  to  give  the  newcomers  a  warm 
welcome.  In  plain  fact  the  people  of  the  mainland, 
well  provided  and  well  armed,  made  an  easy  conquest 
of  the  islands;  but  in  the  fiction  of  the  Chronicle  it 
seemed  necessary  to  account  for  the  high-handed  deed 
on  grounds  of  virtue  and  religion,  and  the  author  forth- 
with launches  into  legend,  showing  us  how  Anus  and 
Arator  set  at  rest  the  scruples  of  the  conquerors,  if 
peradventure  they  had  any. 

God  and  the  saints  intervened.  One  day  the  holv 
Maurus  looked  towards  one  of  the  islands,  and  behold, 
two  bright  stars  stood  together  above  it,  and  a  great 
voice  was  heard  saving,  '1  am  the  Lord,  the  master 
and  the  Saviour  of  the  world.  Raise  thou  here  a  tem- 
ple to  my  glorv."  Hut  from  the  other  star  came  a  soft 
clear  voice  which  said,  '  I  am  Marv,  the'  mother  of 
(iod.  Huild  unto  me  a  church.' 

1  here  was  no  possibility  of  questioning  such  a  form 
of  investiture,  or  of  disputing  the  nojit  of  invaders  who 
received  their  orders  audibly  from  heaven. 


22  (II  I. \M\CiS    FROM    HISTORY  i 

\  little  tariher  on  there  was  a  \er\  beautiful  island, 
co\ei"ed  \\ith  fjj'ass.  \\hercon  pastured  LIII  at  Hocks  oi 
cattle  and  sheep;  and  Maurus  asked  \\hetlur  perchance 
these  herds  In  longed  to  anv  man,  and  received  aiis\\er 

immediate  K.       1'or   suddeuh    there   appeared    in    a    rosv 

i  i 

brightness  like  the  da\\n  two  figures  of  divine  bcaur\  ; 
and  one  \\  as  that  of  an  old  man.  but  the  other  \\  as  vour.^ 
and  little  more  than  a  lad.  I  hen  spake  tin  old  man  and 
said,  'I  am  Peter,  the  Prince  of  the  \post!ts,  \\lio  am 
set  over  all  Hocks,  and  ha\e  power  to  torque  all  sins. 
1  LM\e  unto  thee  tin-  island,  and  thou  shalt  build  a 
temple  m  honour  of  im  nai  \lso  rhe  \ourh  spake, 

saving,  'I  am  tin  venant  of  (  md.  1  am  called  .\uto- 
imiis,  and  1  !j.a\c  m\  lite  for  C  hnsi  -,  sake.  Build  me 
a  little  chinch.  M\  name  is  nowhere  spoken  in  the 
htui'Li\  \\irh  those  o)  tin  mart\'i"s;  1  enjom  upon  tine 
t')  name  me  m  'hv  pra\ers,  both  m^ht  and  da\.  and 
I  \\ill  pra\  (  iod  to  -rant  all  thai  tlnm  shalt  ask,  tor 
tine  and  thine.  \loivo\cr,  tin  t\\o  saints,  before  tln\' 


- ,     a       1 1 1 1 1          bin  cloud     a  j  i  p  e  a  1 1  d     \<  >     tin      hob. 

Main      .    and     T              :  :  •.•  :    oi    tool    under  tin     feet    o|    a 

:ii''!    :  .1 1 1    maid       .  a  id ,  d    am     i  n  - 1 1  n  a  , 

\\  iioi      •           .    .  •    •      d'  at  h  m    I  'ad  na     M  ,  .,  u-             ,          ,ed 

'     '    :  i  -  i  .        I  1 1  u  •  e .   I  h  o  u         j  i    .  i           i  h  t 
I  .oj  d.    t  ha  t 

• 
] 


i  THK  BK(;i\M.\(;s  23 

Afterwards  many  other  heavenly  visions  came  to  com- 
fort the  people  of  Altmum,  and,  amongst  otiier  saints, 
Saint  John  the  Baptist  also  received  the  promise  of  a 
fair  temple. 

By  heavenly  or  earthly  means,  therefore,  the  fugitives 
hail  now  obtained  tor  themselves  a  home,  and  they 
began  to  consider  how  thev  should  establish  themselves 
in  it  conveniently,  so  that  it  should  not  be  taken  from 
them.  1  hen,  such  ot  the  people  as  had  occupied  a 
high  position  in  Altino  were  charged  bv  the  leaders  to 
take  each  the  command  ot  one  island  here  a  Marcello, 
there  a  Faliero,  and  farther  on  a  Calciamiro;  all  names 
which  appear  again  and  again  throughout  the  history 
of  the  maritime  state  which  was  then  and  there  founded 
and  began  to  live,  while  the  Lombards  were  tearing 
down  the  walls  ot  the  old  homes  on  the  mainland  and 
burning  what  could  not  In-  destroyed  in  any  other  way. 


- 

*^-. 


9 


TT 


As  soon  as  tin-  tui_Hri\rs  had  <M\'rii  up  ;il!  hope  <>) 
nrtirnm^  '"  flu-  mainland,  rhc\  lu^au  that  rrcniriuloiis 
srniiiulr  \\itli  naruir  \\hich  lunlt  up  tin  \  i-nict.  \\c  still 
sec,  and  \\liu'h,  in  sotiu-  ili-^rci1,  \\ill  riul  nnl\  \lun  it 
shall  ha\(  hnallv  tlisapjicarrd  ai^ain  in  tin  roursi  of 
a'j(s.  I  In  lu^nim TS  displavfcl  an  almost  nuTi-ilihir 
armirv,  uhifli  tlun  di  Nri-iHl;iin.s  sustaiiu-d  \\ithoui  a 
hrca  k  tni  i  in  ii  i  irs. 

-'-1 


ii  THE   L1TTLK   (JOLDEN    AGE  25 

1  he\'  strengthened  the  muddy  islands  with  dvkes  and 
rows  of  driven  piles;  they  dug  canals  and  lined  them 
first  with  timber  and  then  with  stone;  thev  straightened 

c^ 

the  course  of  the  currents,  lest  these  should  wash  awav 
the  least  fragment  ot  land,  where  there  was  so  little; 
they  worked  like  beavers  to  win  a  tew  poor  vards  ot 
earth  trom  the  restless  Hood. 

J  lie  different  tribes  led  strangely  independent  exist- 
ences, though  living  so  near  together  in  the  islands  they 
had  ser/.ed.  Each  one  endeavoured  to  model  the  new 
home  as  much  as  possible  upon  the  old,  celebrating  the 
same  teasts  in  honour  ot  the  same  saints,  upon  altars 
that  enshrined  the  same  long-treasured  relics,  and  cling- 
ing with  the  affection  and  tenacity  ot  unwilling  exiles 
to  the  traditions  and  customs  ot  the  tatherland. 

1  hou<ih  living  almost  within  a  stone's  throw  the  one 
from  the  other,  the  people  ot  Aquileia,  ot  Altimim  and 
ot  Padua  held  at  first  hardly  any  communication,  and 
had  little  in  common;  but  thev  all  clung  to  the-  patri- 
archal lite,  as  is  easily  proved  by  very  ancient  docu- 
ments. It  is  (jinte  certain  that  each  group  had  a  chiet, 
chosen  to  govern  the  little  colony  on  account  ot  his 
superior  experience,  riches,  and  authority.  Me  was  the 
guardian  ot  the  old  home  traditions,  and 
strove  to  preserve  them  ever  vouiijj;,  and 
to  him  appeal  was  made  in  all  questions  ot 
equity. 

It  is  most  important  to  remember  thar  all  these  early 
settlers  were  descended  from  people-  \\ho  had  been 
subject  tor  centuries  to  Roman  influence,  as  well  as  to 


(il,  I.  AMNCS    FROM    HISTORY  n 

Roman  LL<>\  eminent;    and  it  xvas  onlv  natural  that  thev 

should  lomj,  afterwards  sho\\  traces  of  such  earlv  national 

training,    it    I    mav    use   the   expression.       I  heir   societv 

almost  mstinctivelv  sifted  itsell   into  castes: 

there  were  nobles        that  is,  the  rich,  there 

were   tin    burghers,   and   there   were   the   'little   people, 

as  tlnv  were  called        '  mmori.'      It  was  the  dutv  of  the 

nobles  to  proxidc  all   the-   rest  with  the  means  ot   living, 

as  \\cll  as  to  noxern  and  protect  them.     Custom  required 

that  cverv  rich  man  should  entertain  under 
••...-.  .  .  ,  -       . . . 

Ins  protection  a  certain  number  ot   families 

of  loxxei"  rank,  \\lio  were  (.'ailed  the  'comicmi,'  that 
is,  'fellow-neighbours,'  a  usa^e  xxhich  recalled  tin- 
Roman  s\  stem  (it  'patron  and  client.  1  he  lather  ot  the 
famib,  as  m  Rome,  had  almost  unlimited  power  over 
his  children.  All  meetings  of  importance  \\erc  presided 
o\  er  In  tin  cler<;\  . 

It    \xas,    in    tact,    an    assembb    ot    the    clergv    ::nd    ot 
tatln-rs  of    families  \\lnch,   in   each   LH'oup  D)   i-mi<;rants, 

hael  "i\en  the  leader  ot    the   expedition  the 

1 

R<  iman  title  ( >t     1  ribuiu- ;    and  after  a   lead- 
er s   dearh    liis    successor   was   elected    in   the  same  xxav, 
\er\     LLein-ralb     from    amongst    Ins    dn't ct    descendants. 
It     this   (u\  Hired    dlirillLl   three    or    four  suc- 
cess] \  e  generations,  his  I annb    bt  i  ame  nat- 
uialb    M    <    ted    \\ith    a    real    lie  red  it  a  r\    aiithoi  ;t\*.        I  he 
i  >  \    t  ion  bi-r  \  ,  t  n  t  in    head  ol  tin-  t  ami  \    and.  r  In    '  telloxx- 
•  - 1   led    o)    ^eiien  )sit  \     on    tin     OIK     hand 
and  at  it  udi    mi   tin    of  her.   a   species  i  >|   excha  ii'je  ol 

•  :i;  -    in  't    hkt  l\     to    |'l'  uluce    mulue    tellsii  ill.        I  >iit 


ii  T1IK    LITTLE   (IC)LDKN    AGK  27 

where  the  head  ot  the  colony  was  concerned,  an  ambi- 
tious tribune,  who  showed  signs  ot  trving  to  turn  him- 
self into  an  autocrat,  was  held  in  check  bv  the  necessity 
ot  being  re-elected  to  his  office  every  vear.  1'or  in  each 
island,  on  the  feast  of  its  particular  patron  saint,  the 
people  met  together,  either  in  the  church  or  on  the  shore, 
to  choose  the  chief  tor  the  next  twelve  months,  and  they 
olten  elected  the  same  tribune  again  and  again  ;  but  i!  he- 
had  done-  t!ie  slightest  thing  to  displease  them,  thev  had 
it  in  their  power  to  choose  a  better  man  in  his  place. 

During  his  term  ot  office  the  tribune  took  tor  him- 
self tithes  on  game  that  was  killed,  fish  that  was  caught, 
and  crops  that  were  harvested. 

Properly  speaking,  there  were  neither  magistrates 
nor  tribunals  at  that  time,  tor  the  tribune  himself 
indued  all  causes  in  public,  most  oiten  in  the-  church. 
A  tew  fragments  of  written  law  existed,  no  doubt, 
but  thev  were  wholly  inadequate;  and  though  it  was 
attempted  to  supply  their  deficiencies  bv  adding  some 
articles  from  the  Lombard  code,  the  real  law  was  tradi- 
tion. Such  was  the  good  faith  ot  that  little  golden  age, 
that  the  sworn  evidence  ot  two  respectable  persons  was 
enough  to  convict  am  misdoer  without  anv  further 
form  ot  trial,  and  condign  punishment  followed  directlv 
upon  conviction. 

According  to  the  accounts  thev  have  left  of  them- 
selves, these-  primitive  \  enerians  were  a  simple-  and 
devout  people,  who  divided  their  time  between  honest 
labour,  the  sinking  ot  psalms  and  devout  hvmns,  and 
the  narration  to  each  other  ot  beatific  \isions  ot  Apostles 


2X  (il.l.  \M.\(iS    FROM    HISTORY  n 

ami  \  irgm  Marrvrs.  who  appeared  tor  the  purpose  ot 
ordering  themselves  churches.  I  he  churches  were  un- 
eloubte-dlv  bmlr  in  great  numbers,  largely  out  of  the' 
he-rte-r  fragments  which  could  still  be1  gathered  amidst 
rlu-  rums  rt  rhe  old  forsaken  citie-s  on  the'  mainland. 
i  In-  nobles  ot  Padua,  who  were  probably  the  best  of 
tin-  colonists,  brought  enough  old  material  to  build 
themselves  the-  whole  town  ot  Heraclea,  on  the  island 
ot  that  name-;  but  even  then-  the  best  and  most  artistic 
pie-ces  ot  stone  anel  marble1  were  used  in  the  construc- 
tion of  the  churches  and  monasteries. 

I  he-  pe-ople-  worke-d  in  the-  tie-lels,  cultivated  the1  \me, 
bre-d  catrle,  and  de-air  in  salt,  which  latte-r  was  one-  ot 
the-ir  chief  resoiirce-s.  I  ln-\  were  nor  \  e-t  rich,  but  thev 
were  alreadv  economical,  and  rlu-ir  gams  more  than 
sufficed  for  their  needs,  so  that  the-  slow  accumulation 
ot  wealth  lu-gan  at  a  ve-rv  e-arlv  pe-nod. 

I  he  ancie -nt  \  e-netian  t\  pe-,  described  in  Roman 
times,  continued  to  dominate  e-ven  be-vonel  rhe  four- 

te-e-nth  ce-ntur\  .       I  he  men  were  large-,  fair- 

. 

haired,  and  srrong;  the-  women  \\e-re-  rather 
mcliin-d  to  be  srour,  and  it  was  notice-el  that  rhe-ir  hair 
turned  Lire-v  compa  ran\  el\  e-arlv. 

sexes   dressed   \\irh   gtvar   simplicity,   and   tor  a 
•lung  to  the-  old   Roman  fashions.       I  ln-\    had 
alwavs  shown  a  remarkable  liking  tor  blue 
i  lothes ;     during     mam     centuries     tin-     in- 
labitants  ot    \i-netia   had   been    known    as    rlu     '  Illues,' 
nd    IOUL:   after  the  duision   »(   rhe    Kmpire  one-   faction 
n  the  games  of  the  circus  \\eiit  In    that   name. 


ii  THE    LITTLE   GOLDEN    AGE  29 

Their    speech    was    still     Latin    at    that    eaily    tune, 
hut   soon    afterwards   the   influence   of   the 
Greeks    and     Lombards    began    to    make 
itself  felt  in  their  language,  as  well  as  in  their  dress  and 
ornaments,  and  even  in  their  architecture. 

They  lived  in  a  certain  abundance,  and  ate  much 
meat,  after  the  manner  of  all  young  nations.  One  may 
di<r  almost  anywhere  and  come  upon  lavers 

0  -  '  Mat.  Costumi. 

of  the  bones  of  wild  boar  and  other  game, 
as  well  as  of  cattle  and  sheep.  Among  fish  they  are 
known  to  have  thought  the  turbot  the  best,  and  they 
preferred  wild  ducks  to  all  other  birds.  [  he  vine 
throve  also,  and  produced  good  wines  which  soon 
gained  a  reputation  on  the  mainland. 

At  first  the  emigrants  needed  no  occupations  beyond 
husbandry,  fishing,  and  the  preparation  of  salt;  but  as 
the  population  increased  and  prices  rose  accordingly, 
since  saving  had  begun,  the  need  of  a  wider  field  of 
activitv  was  felt,  and  the  \  enetians  rapidly  developed 
the  seafaring  instincts  of  all  healthv  and  active  island 
peoples.  1  wo  hundred  vears  had  not  elapsed  since  the 
raid  of  the  Huns  before  the  small  archipelago  at  the 
head  of  the  .Adriatic  was  in  possession  of  the  finest 
fleet  of  vessels  that  Italy  could  vet  boast. 

Such  a  golden  age  as  the  chroniclers  describe1  could 
not  last  long.  In  everv  newly-peopled  countrv  the 
rule  is  good  faith,  mutual  help  and  chantv  between 
man  and  man,  so  long  as  there  is  a  common  adversary 
to  be  overcome,  whether  in  the  shape  of  natural  difficul- 
ties, as  was  the  case-  in  the  \  enetian  islands,  or  of  wild 


o 


(il.K  \\I\dS    FROM    HISTORY  ii 


beasts,  or  i)t  human  enemies,  as  in  North  America.  So 
lon^  as  the  settlers  m  the  archipelago  had  to  tight 
against  the  elements  ro  \\  in  a  stable  foundation  tor  their 
to\\ns  as_;ainst  rhe  changeful,  hungrv  curruns;  so  lono. 
as  thcv  had  ro  \\ork  hard  ro  break  and  plough  tin-  laml, 
ro  plant  rhe  sine,  to  build  habitations  tor  themselves 
and  temples  tor  their  protecting  saints,  ]iist  so  lon^  did 
thcv  abstain  from  c<>\enn<2,  their  neighbours'  m>mls. 
1  here-  was  e\en  a  sort  ot  rough-and-reach  federation 
bct\\ecn  rhe  islands  tor  the  ]omt  protection  of  their 
commerce  and  their  ships,  and  now  and  then,  in  excep- 
tional circumstances,  the  tribunes  of  the 
diHei'ent  isles  had  met  together  in  debate 
tor  the  common  \\eltare.  -  I  heir  improvised  parliament 
e\en  ivcened  a  nanu-;  it  was  called  the  Maritime 
I  m\  ersin  . 

Hut  as  rhe  general  wealth  increased,  ami  the  ener- 
getic struggle  with  nature  settled  into  a  steadv  and  nor 
excessive  effort,  the  people  ot  each  island  \er\  naturaliv 
hcuan  ro  think  less  about  themselves  and  more1  about 
their  neighbours.  Leisure  bred  \anirv,  \amt\  bred 
envv,  ami  cnvv  brought  forth  \iolence  of  all  sorts. 

I  he  e\  il  bewail  at  the  to]i  ot  tin-  communities  and 
spread  d<  i\\  n\\  ards.  I  he  tamiht  s  <  it  the  tribmu  s  became 
leal'nis  one  ot  another,  and  i  ried  to  outdo  card  other 
in  \\ealth  and  displa\  and  po\\er;  and  tlu  poori  r  sort  ot 
the  people  f  "  >k  sides  \\  it  h  their  It  ad<  i  >  and  \  icil  \\  it  h 
eat'h  other,  island  \\ith  island,  so  that  before  flu  end 
.if"  tin  sc\enth  celltur\  jnuch  bluml  had  d\  i-d  the 
la us. 


ii  THK    LITTLE   (lOLDKN    ACIK  jt 

Naturally  enough,  such  internal  discord  laid  the 
communities  open  to  attacks  from  without;  and  the 
Slav  pirates  came  sailing  in  their  swift  vessels  from 
the  Dalmatian  cor.st,  and  gathered  rich  booty  in  the 
archipelago.  In  the  face  of  a  common  danger  home 
quarrels  were  once  more  forgotten,  and  the  people  of 
the  islands  met  to  consider  the  general  safetv. 

It  was  soon  decided  that  internal  peace  could  only 
he  maintained  by  electing  a  single  leader  over  all,  a 
Dux.  a  Duke,  a  Doge,  and  the  first  choice 

.  ,  6i/---/~  A. li. 

fell  on  Paulus  Lucas  Anafestus,of  Heraclea. 
Each  island  was  to  preserve  its  own  tribune,  its  own 
laws,  and  its  own  judges,  it  it  had  anv,  and  the  Doge 
was  to  meddle  with  nothing  that  did  not  concern  the 
common  welfare  of  the  whole  federation.  Moreover, 
no  measure  proposed  bv  him  was  to  become  law  until 
the  people  had  voted  upon  it  in  general  assembly  called 
the  Arengo. 

Such  was  the-  remedy  proposed,  and  in  it  lav  the 
germ  of  the  future  form  of  government.  But  at  first 
it  produced  a  result  the  contrary  of  what  was  expected. 
1  he  families  of  the  different  tribunes  had  envied  and 
hated  one  another;  they  united  to  envy  and  hate  the 
family  of  which  the  head  was  in  power  as  Doge-. 

A  violent  dispute  between  the  partisans  of  Anatestus 
and  those-  of  the  tribune  of   Lquiho  brought  about  the 
first   conflict.      Kquilio   was    in    part   over- 
grown    with     pine-trees,    and     the     angry 
adversaries   met  in   the  dusky  i^rove   and   fought  to  the 
death;    and  it  is   recorded  that  the  small  (.'anal,  which 


CI.KAMNCS    FROM    HISTORY  n 


drained  tin-  land  under  the  rives,  ran  red  that  da\", 
wherefore  ir  was  afterwards  called  '  Archimicidium,' 
which  I  take  to  mean  'the  beginning  of  killing  ;  hur 
ir  is  now  the  Canal  Ortano,  in  which  criminals  were 

drowned  during  main    centuries. 

I  hat  dav  was  indeed  the  heLMnmn<j,  ot  murder 
between  rlu-  people  ot  K<]iiilio  and  those  ot  Heraclea, 
and  rheir  hatred  tor  each  other  was  handed  down 
afterwards  troin  i^eneration  to  generation,  to  our  o\\  n 
tinu-s.  so  that  c\en  \\hen  the-  two  islands  were  hoth 
included  in  the  citv  ot  \emce,  and  hoth  goxerned  In 
the  sanu-  municipal  laws,  the  people  still  tormed  t\\  o 
hostile  (actions,  ot  which  more  will  In-  said  hereafter. 

After    haxinii    elected     three     clours,    the     people    con- 
cluded   troin    tin-    result    that   the\    hail    heen    mistaken 
in    choosing   such    a    torm    ot    "o\  eriiment. 


placed  in  the  hands  ot  a   military  head,  who  was  called 

the  Chief  ot  Militia;  but  as  this  experiment  pro\ed  a 
failure  after  a  trial  of  h\e  years,  the  federation  went 
back  to  the  election  of  a  Doge. 

During  all  this  period,  and  up  to  the  ninth  century, 
the  islands  were  nominally  mult  r  rhe  protection  ot  the 
[•.astern  Kmpirc,  it  nor  under  its  domination;  but 
a  little  study  of  rhe  sub|ect  shows  that  rhe  actors  more 
than  once  changed  parrs,  and  that  the  piote  red  \\ere 
as  often  ;i  nor  In-sought  to  become  the  protectors. 
I' or  instance,  the  I.  xai'ch  I'aul.  the  vicen>\  ot  rhe 
Kmperor,  could  ne\er  ha\e  re-entered  his  cit\  of 
I\a\enna,  after  the  Lombards  had  taken  ir,  i 


n  THE    LITTLE   GOLDEN    AGE  ^ 

Venetians  had  helped  him;  and  when  the  Doge  Orso 
received  of  the  Kmperor  the  title  of  'Hypatos,'  ir 
must  have  been  given  to  him  rather  as  the  acknowledg- 
ment ot  a  debt  ot  gratitude  to  an  allv  than  as  a  rec- 
ompense granted  to  a  faithful  subject. 

In  such  a  difference  there  is  something  more  than 
a  shade  that  distinguishes  two  similar  formalities;  and 
historians  have  interpreted  the  Emperor's  brief,  and 
other  acts  of  the  Court  of  Constantinople,  according  to 
their  varving  pleasure.  ^  et  the  truth  is  clear  enough. 
I  he  new-born  Republic  possessed  a  real  independence, 
based  on  the  good  relations  she  maintained  with  her 
neighbours  in  general.  She  was  satisfied  with  her 
(lower  of  governing  herself,  and  was  not  inclined  to 
quarrel  with  the  Court  of  Constantinople,  or  with  her 
nearer  neighbours  on  the  peninsula,  about  such  trifles 
as  words  and  forms.  Her  earlv  policy  was  rather  to 
escape  notice  than  to  boast  of  her  hbertv;  vet  it  cannot 
be  denied  that  during  the  seventh  and  eighth  centuries 
the  Greek  influence  predominated,  both  in  the  spirit 
of  the-  laws  and  in  the-  commercial  activitv  of  the 
Republic. 

Meanwhile  the  more-  discontented  cm/ens,  and 
notablv  the  more  powerful  families,  which  were  jealous 
of  each  other,  did  their  best  to  stir  up  faction  and  to 
bring  about  a  revolutionary  change-  which  would  have 
been  ruinous.  In  the  hope  of  internal  quiet,  tin- 
capital  was  transferred  from  Heraclea  to  Malamocco, 
of  which  the  inhabitants  were  considered  the  most 
peaceful  and  law-abiding  in  al  the  lagoons;  but  the 

V<  >!..   I.  —  li 


>4  (II- K  \M\CS    FROM    HISTORY  n 

ivmedv  was  not  a  serious  one,  and  the  do^es  were 
successively  murdered,  or  exiled,  or  forced  to  abdicate. 

1  he  Republic  was  on  tin-  point  of  perishing  in 
these  inglorious  struggles  when  an  untorescc -n  danger 
from  abroad  saved  it  from  rum  hv  forcing  all  the 
\  enctians  to  forget  their  differences  and  unite  against 
a  common  encmv. 

1  he  vear  Sio  marks  the  beirinnmir  of  a  ne\\  era. 


t»v. ...  i        -,-<?^ 
JV<^  '•  /  ^-v 


nr 


THI-;    REPUBLIC   OF   SAINT    MARK 

DURINC;  some  tuiu-  the  influence  ot  the  I*  ranks  had 
he-en  felt  in  the  islands,  and  was  beginning  to  counter- 
balance that  ol  the  (ii'eeks.  1  he  great  families  nou 
separated  into  two  distinct  parties,  one  ot  which 
favoured  the-  rising  Fnipire  ot  the  \\est,  \\hile  the 
sympathies  ot  the  other  remained  tirinh  attached  to 
the  Court  ot  Constantinople'.  I  hcse  opposite  leanings, 
however,  were  caused  bv  (jiiestions  ot  trade  and  money- 
making  much  more  than  bv  anv  political  tendenc\',  and 
neither  side  had  anv  inclination  to  accept  a  master. 

\  et    one    man    seems    to    have    senouslv    meditated 
betraying  the   Republic   to    Pepin,   the    son    ot    Charle- 

35 


(;i,I.\M\(;S    FROM    HISTORY 


III 


HI       THK   RFPl'BLIC   OF    SAINT    MARK       37 

at    Pepin's    court,    and    is    said    to    have    married    his 
daughter. 

1  lie  armv  <>t  the  Franks  appeared  on  the  mainland, 
hv  a  secret  agreement  with  the  Doge,  and  before 
preparations  could  he  made  tor  opposing  it.  But  the 
common  danger  became  at  once  a  bond  of  union;  the 
Venetians  forgot  their  discords  and  their  quarrels,  and 
rose  as  one  man  to  defend  their  hbertv.  Almost  from 
the  first  the  Doge  was  suspected  of  treachery;  he  was 
watched,  lie-  was  convicted  bv  his  own  acts,  he  was 
taken,  and  he  paid  for  his  treason  with  his  lite. 
His  severed  head  was  set  up  on  a  pike  on  the 
beach  ot  Malamocco,  where  the  enemy  could  watch 
how  the  carrion  birds  came  daily  and  picked  it  to  a 
skull. 

Hut  the'   Franks  took   the  nearer  islands  one  by  one, 
till    at    last   (he   \  enetians    left    Malamocco   and   sought 
retuge   on    the    Rialto    and    Ohvolo,    which    _,/,,/  /,,, .,„.,.,.,.,, 
were   the    more   easv  to    defend,    as    it    was 
harder   for   the   eiiemv    to    reach   them.      A    legend   says 
that   one    poor  old  \\oman    sta\'ed    behind, 

'     .  .  <Vo(;  A.D. 

resolved   to   save   \  enice   or   perish    in   the 
attempt,  and  we  are  told  that  she  went  to  meet   Pepin 
and    counselled     him    to    build    a    wooden    /»,//// ,r/ ///,- 
bridge  that  should  extend  all  the  v\av  from    ' 

.  /.  /  icenfiit,<  : 

Malamocco     to     Rialto,    and     that     Pepin    /'<1/1          •-.?/, /T 

,-ii  ,,  ,     •  i  11  ,-    i    •       t>i<-  m ill f;   Dticii/ 

followed  her  advice;   hut  the  horses  of    his   />,-,,,.  .s;,/:, ,/,,//,, 
arm\"  \\-ere  scared  b\'  the  dancing  lights  on    • 
the  \vater,  and  bv  the-  swavm"  of  the-  light  bridge,  and 
they   plunged   and   reared   and   tell   oft   into  the  lagoon. 


Ill 


anil  rhe\  .nul  ilu-ir  rulers  were  dn>\\  tied  In  thousands, 
like  1  'li.i  ra<  ill  ;nul  his  host  m  tin-  Red  Sea. 

\  mote  likelv  storv  tells  us  that  the  !•  ranks  had 
no  li^ht  hoats  of  shallo\\  ilratt,  and  that  in  pursuing 
ilu  \enetians  tlu-ir  hca\ier  vessels  uot  aground  in  the 
intricate  channel,  so  that  tin-  \enetians  surrounded 
thniu  ship  hv  ship,  and  dul  them  to  death  com ementlv 
and  at  li-isiirr. 

!)v  that  as  ir  mav,  I'rpin  \\as  defeated  and  forced  to 
LM'M-  up  the  atuntpt,  and  \\hen  lu-  hail  hurned  evervtlnng 
on  tile  viands  he  h;u!  taken,  he  \\eiit  a\\a\',  in  an^er  and 
hii'Tiha!  ion,  to\\  ai'ds  l\a\enna.  I  hereafter,  when  peace 
\\.is  made  hetueen  !nin  and  the  !'. astern  I'.mpire, 
\  e!HCe  \\as  reckoned  \\lth  the  I'.ast. 

\nioii"     those     \\ho     most     distinguished     themseK'es 


I'artecipa/io,   a    meinher  of    one   of    the   most    reno\\  ned 

iani'.lus     of     the     fornu-r    tribunes.      Sismondi     sa\s,     I 

cannot      !ir,d     \\ith     what     authont\,     that     this     noble 

I'Uise  changed     its     nanu-     to     liadoer,     in     tluj     tenth 

ir    eK  .  (  nth    criiturv,    under    \\lnch    name    it    still    h\  es. 


,i i uis    \\  ere    si H ni    unireil    to    n .       I  iion 

i 

up      '  hat     \\.is    the    beLMiimnn    of     modern 
.  i  M    hund  red    \  ea  rs   a  "<  >.    a  nd    t  he   \\  aste   la  nd 


in       THK    RKPl'BLIC   OF   SAINT    MARK       39 

was    covered    with    dwellings,    towers,    churches    and 
religious  houses  in  a  wonderfully  short  time. 

The  devout  tendencies  of  the  people  had  changed 
little  since  the  first  fugitives  had  placed  the  islands 
under  the  protection  of  those  several  tutelary  saints 
whose  relics  thev  had  saved,  and  the  descendants  of 


those  earh*  emigrants  no\v  cast  ahout  for  a  holy  patron 
\\  ho  should,  as  it  were,  guarantee  to  them  the  hless- 
mg  of  heaven.  I  he\  then  remembered  the-  ancient 
legend:  how  Saint  Mark  the  Kvangelist  \\as  ship- 
wrecked and  cast  upon  the  shores  of  Rialto,  and  ho\\ 
he  heard  a  m\  stenous  voice  saving,  '  Pax  t;hi  Marce, 
Evangelista  meiis';  that  is,  'Peace  he  with  thee,  () 


4  (il  1.  \\I\r-S    FROM    HISTORY  in 

Mark,    mv     l.\  an^chst.'      And    tin-    words    became    the 
UK  itto  '  'I   rlu    Republic. 

I  In  devotion  to  S;nnr  Mark  <MV\\  ;it  ;m  ama/mij. 
rate  alter  rlu-  re\ival  of  this  old  tradition,  and  ir  be- 
came tin  tin-am  ot  c\erv  \eiietian  to  obtain  relics  ot 
rlu  K\  ani!.elist's  hod\  .  I  Ins  pi't-cioii.s  rn-a.Min-  uas  ;it 
that  nun-  pi'fSi-iA  t-tl  in  Alt-xaiulna,  ami  was  rlu-rc-ton-  in 
rlu-  power  <>f  tin-  Musulmans;  Inir  a  strict  ordinance 
•  it  the  I'  mperor  Leo,  to  \\hich  the  1  )o^e  had  heeii 


c<  minierce. 

I  \\  o  Venetian  merchants  and  na\iiiators,  Ruono 
da  Malamocco  and  Rustico  da  1  orcello,  deternuned  to 
risk  their  h\es  and  fortunes  in  tlisohe\'inti 
the  imperial  tlecree.  I  he\'  fitted  our  a 
verv  tast  \essel  and  freighted  her  \\ith  merchandise  h>r 
the  I'.asn-ni  marker  and  st-r  sad  \\ithour  di-clanno-  their 
real  destination.  Reaching  \le\aiulna  \\  it  h  a  fair  \\  mil. 
the\  proceeded  at  once  to  the  basilica  in  which  the 
hiid\  oi  the  saint  was  kept,  and  obtained  possession  of 
11  hv  tlu  simple  process  of  H'lbuiLl  the  men  m  charm- 
of  tin-  church.  I  h  ii  the  stor\  sa\s  that  tlu-\  placed 
their  treasure  in  tlu  bottom  of  a  can,  and  heaped  salt 

iviii   .    uiioii    it,    as    much    as   the    mules   could    drau,    sure 

!  i 

thai   no   \liisulman  \\ould  loiudi  the  uneK  an  meat;    and 
si  i    t:ii;     |>a^^^^!    t  !  i  i'i>  ii  L'  .  1  1    the    cit\    a  nd    Ll(|t    <in    board    of 

t  heir     hip.   and   put    to  sea   that    \  en    mnht  . 
i  i  "~ 

\\  h  e  T  i   1  1  H  •  \   ''ami    1  1  e  a  i    home,   ->  a  1  1  1  1  r_'  \\  1  1  1  1   a    tan   \\ind 
a  n  d  t  h  i     blessing"'!    h  e  a  \  e  n    and    Saint    \  I  a  r  k  ,  1  1  u  \    -,  e  1  1  1 


in       THK    RKITBLIC   OF    SAINT    MARK       41 

a  light  boat  into  the-  lagoons  to  inform  the  Doge 
that  thev  were  bringing  the  Lvangehst's  bodv;  for 
thev  were  sure  that  he  and  their  tellow- 

.  l/'ii/tt  \'J\  .-!./'. 

citr/ens    would    glacllv    forgive    them     for    /'••< 

,       .  i  •     i          i       i        •  -11  f/Ji'  '"'''/r •l/'>'/- 

having     disobeyed     the     imperial     decree.    j/,lV./;.t  ,„ ,",,,,,,<• 

Then  all   the  people  leathered  on  the  shore 

it-ntiiry  .-'ii  tiic 

as  the  ship  came  in;  and  the  noblest  of  /'.-,  •• 
\  emce  took  the  priceless  burden  upon 
their  shoulders  and  bore  it  to  the  private  chapel  of 
the  ducal  palace,  where  it  was  to  remain  in  state  until 
a  church  could  be  built  for  it;  and  a  great  crv  of 
'\i\a  San  Marco'  rang  from  street  to  street,  and 
from  island  to  island,  even  up  to  (irado  and  down 
to  Malamocco,  and  it  was  ever  afterwards  the-  war-crv 
of  \  emce.  1  bus  was  Saint  Mark  proclaimed  protector 
of  the  Republic,  and  the  words  which  he  himself  had 
heard  became  the  nation's  motto;  and  Saint  1  heodore 
took  the  second  rank,  though  he  had  been  patron 
of  the  lagoons  ever  since  the  davs  of  Narses  and  Jus- 
tinian. 

It  was  clear  to  those  simple  believers  that  Saint  Mark 
had  not  come  among  them  against  his  will.  Had  lu- 
be-en displeased  with  the  change  from  Alexandria  to 
\emce  a  storm  \\ould  surelv  have  arisen  in  the-  ni^hr, 
and  the  hob'  relics  would  have  disappeared  in  thunder, 
lightning,  and  ram,  to  re-turn  to  their  former  resting- 
place  or  to  be-  miraculously  transported  to  another; 
for  such  was  the  pleasure  of  the  saints  in  the  dark 
ages.  But  Saint  Mark  remained  where  he  was,  pleased, 
no  doubt,  with  the-  homage  of  that  <dad  vouno  people. 


CI.K. \\INCS    FROM    HISTORY 


in 


;nul  reioicin<i  already  in  flu-  Clones  thcv  should  ;irt;iin 
under  his  patronage;  ;nul  from  tins  complaisance 
tin-  \  ciu-nans  naturallv  concluded  rh;ir  .1  cli\  nu-  blessing 
had  descended  upon  them,  aiul  thev  became  once  more 
a  single  tamilv,  bonded  as  brothers  to  stand  and  win 
toother. 

But  before  pursuing,  the-  iM'eat  storv  of  \\hat  canu- 
atti-t  \\ards,  Irt  us  staiul  a  \\hdr  on  tin-  thrc-shold  ot  rhc' 
tc-nth  ci-nrur\  and  look  ar  \  t-nict'  as  sin.1  was  a  U  \\ 
rears  after  Saint  Mark  had  taken  her  under  his  special 
pr<  iteetK  m. 

In  the  first  place,  the  alternate  currents  caused  hv  the 
tide  and  the  n\ers  were  not  vet  completclv  controlli'd 
In  stonc'-taeed  canals,  and  in  mam  places  the  soil  still 
consisted  of  long  stretches  ot  unstahle  mud,  upon  which 
the  tide  thivu  up  masses  ot  seaweed  that  la\  rotting  in 
the  sun.  1  he  onl\  means  of  obtaining  a  firm  founda- 
tion for  a  stone  buildinL!;  (>n  such  ground  la\  in  labon- 
oiish'  cln\'in<i  piles,  side  In  side,  and  so  close  that  each 
one  touched  the  next,  and  rhe  \\holr  formed  a  solid 
surface.  It  was  a  slow  method,  it  was  costlv  and 
required  considerable  skill;  but  the  result  was  <M>od, 
and  |I;IN  stood  tin.  test  of  a  thousand  vears,  tor  there 
are  buiKhn^s  standing  to-da\  on  piles  dri\eii  in  the 
\  ear  (} 

\\  tolli>u>  that  in  the  tenth  ceiitun  the  ma|oiit\  of 
d\\  elhn^-houses  \\cre  still  on  \  liLiht  constructions  of 
wood,  uhieh  could  stand  upon  tin  mud  \\ithoui  danger 
of  sinkiiiL!..  I  here  \\eii  mam  stone  buiKlin^s  alreadx, 
lio\\e\ei,  but  like  then  humbler  neisilibours  tlu  \  niostb 


in       THE   REPUBLIC   OK   SAINT    MARK       43 

had  onl\'  one  storv  above  the  ground  floor,  with  small 
windows  on  the  outside,  and  larger  ones  on  the  inner 
court,  and  all  alike  were  rooted  with  thatch.  It  is  hard 
to  imagine  \  emce  a  thatched  citv,  ot  all  cities  in  the 
world;  vet  the  reason  ot  the  peculiarity  is  plain  enough. 
Neither  brick  nor  tiles  could  be  made  trom  the  sott 
mud  ot  the  lagoons,  a  wooden  house  cannot  have  a  flat 
root,  and  the  construction  ot  a  vaulted  root  upon  a 
stone  house  requires  a  greater  skill  in  building  than 
the  \  enetians  then  possessed. 

In  building  ordinary  dwellings,  Sagredo  tells  us  that 
the  usual  method  was  to  lav  down  a  floor  ot  heavy 
planks,  upon  which  a  thick  laver  ot  mortar 
and  small  pebbles  was  spread  out  and  beaten 
down  to  a  hard  surtace;  upon  this  again  a  second  laver  ot 
cement  mixed  with  pounded  bricks  was  spread,  and  this 
was  beaten  with  heavy  wooden  beaters  till  it  was  perfectly 
hard  and  even.  Precisely  the  same  method  is  employed 
to-dav  in  southern  Italv;  and  it  was  trom  this  beginning 
that  the  so-called 'Venetian  pavement'  soon  developed. 
I' or  rich  people  caused  small  pieces  ot  coloured  marbles, 
and  even  ot  mother-of-pearl,  to  be  set  into  the  cement 
ot  the  second  layer,  which  was  then  no  longer  beaten, 
but  rolled  with  a  ponderous  stone-  roller  and  then  rubbed 
down  with  a  smooth  stone  and  sand  and  water,  and  at 
last  polished  to  a  brilliant  surtace.  1  o  this  dav  the 
'Venetian  pavement'  is  made  in  this  wav  in  all  parts 
ot  the  world.  1  he  \  enetians  had  probably  inherited 
the  art  directly  trom  the  Romans,  together  with  some 
knowledge  of  mosaic,  which  it  rou^hlv  resembles. 


44  (il.H  \\I\dS    KkOM    HISTORY  in 

I  In    pohshe-el    floor  of    the-   mam    room   \v;is   ;in   especial 
object  of  pride  in  the-  c-vc-s  ot  good  housekeepers. 

I  IK-  \  c-ne-nan  houses  resembled  those  ot  tin-  Romans 
in  main  rc-.spt.-crs.  A  covered  portico,  surrounding  a 
closed  court.  <_!.avf  access  to  the  'hall  ot  the-  fireplace,' 
as  the  principal  place-  ot  gathering  tor  the  tamilv  was 
named,  and  to  the  kitchens  and  offices.  1  he  upper 
storv  consisted  cntiivlv  ot  bedrooms,  and  had  a  \\ule- 
balcom  calli-d  the  'hai;o'  a  word  corrupted  from  the 
(  Ireek  l.'t'litit-'in,  'a  phuv  ot  sunshine/  Here  in  \\arm 
\\c-athc-r  the  tamilv  spent  the-  evening.  Higher  still, 
a  rustic  wooden  platform  was  built  o\cr  a  part  ot  the 
gabled  ami  thatched  root,  and  was  called  the  'altana. 
It  was  here  that  tin-  linen  was  dried  atter  washing,  and 
later,  in  I  man's  dav,  it  was  here  that  the  \enetian 
ladies  exposed  their  hair  to  the  sun  atter  moistening  it 
\\  ith  the  fashionable  dvc. 

I  lie  'hall  ot   tin-  fireplace-'  was  more-  than   anv  othe-r 

part  ot  the-  house-  a  spc-cial  te-ature-  ot  \  e-m-tian  dwellings, 

and  was  as  nece-ssar\  to  them  as  the-  halconv 


da\  tin-  \eiietians  boasj  that  their  ancestors  invented 
the-  modern  chimne\  flue-,  ami  that  \\lnK-  l\m^  I'-^ln-rt 
--rill  \\anneil  hmise-lf  like  a  savage  he-t'>iv  a  tire  «(  \\hu-h 
the  smoke-  (sca|H-d  through  a  hole-  in  the  root,  the 
poorest  Venetian  fisherman  had  a  civilised  fireplace- 
before-  \\h:ch  Me-  cnulel  \\arm  h: s  toes  as  e'omtoi  tab!\ , 
and  \\itli  as  little-  annovance  from  smoke,  as  an\  tine 
la  el\  'it  tlii-  t\\  i-ntiet  h  cent  11 1  \  . 

\nnfhe-r    pi-e'iiha  nt\     >>)     the    earl\     \e-netian     house 


Ill 


THE    REPUBLIC   OF   SAINT    MARK        45 


which    has   come   clown   to  our  cluv   was   that   it   almost 
always   had   two  entrances,   the   one  opening   upon  the 


A    \\  .VI  KK    In  ii  >K    N!-  AK    -' 


water,  and  the  other,  at  the  hack,  upon  land.  In  those 
days  tins  hack  door  almost  alwavs  ^ave  access  to  a  hit 
of  garden,  in  which  flowers  and  a  tew  kitchen  vegetables 


(il.i.AMNCiS    FROM    HISTORY 


in 


\\eiv  carctiillv  cultivated,  Init  these  gardens  \\e-iv  soon 
crowded  out  ot  e  \iste-nce-  In  the  ncccssitv  tor  larger  and 
more  numerous  houses. 

1  In-  palace  ot  tin-  Doge  differed  from  other  \  e-ne-tian 
el\\e-llings  chierlv  In  its  si/e  and  irs  battlcmented  \\alls, 
and  was  verv  tar  from  resembling  \\har  we  see  ro-da\ 
:n  its  place.  It  was  destro\'ed  In  tire  a<j,ain  and  a^am, 
and  onh  here  and  there  some  fragment  ot  the-  original 
\\alls  was  incorporated  m  the-  new  i  uildings  which  tin' 
clones  \\ere  so  otten  obliged  to  construct  for  themselves. 
^  high  battlemented  wall  joined  the  island  ot  Ohvolo 
\\ith  kialto  and  i-nclosed  the  ducal  palace. 

I  In-  churches  were  out  of  all  proportion  richer  and 
better  cared  for  than  the  private  dwellings,  and  were 
generally  built  after  the  model  of  the  Roman  basilica, 
\\ith  an  apse  and  a  portico  for  worshippers,  \\hich 
tre(|iienflv  M-r\ed  as  a  shelter  for  all  sorts  of  little  shops 
and  monev-changers  booths,  \\-rv  much  like  the  temple 
m  [erusalem.  I  hese  church.es  have  been  rebuilt  and 
repaired  aLiam  and  a^am  till  theix-  is  little  left  of  the 
onmnals;  but  man\  t  raiments  of  tlu-ni  ha\e  been  used 
attain,  here  a  liLiht  column,  there  a  bit  ot  mosaic,  a 
car\ed  capital,  a  puce  ot  earb  .sculpture  or  a  delicate 
mai'b  e  tracerv  all  of  them,  more  often  than  not,  ot 
better  v\orkmanship  and  in  purer  taste  than  the  later 

! )  1 1  lldlll"  -    I  lle\     Hi  i\\     belli    to    adi  Mil . 

!  '  :  i      1 1  id    toe  i  is    of     \  eiietia  n    lift     \\  as    Saint 

Mark  -  Square,  bur  it  \\as  altonithi-i  a  diflerent  place- 
in  rhosi  ,:,i.  It  was,  nulee-d,  nothing  but  an  irregular 
open  space,  a  he-Id  of  mud  m  umter,  a  he  lei  of  dust 


in       THK    RFJTBLIC   OF    SAINT    MARK       47 

in  summer,   divided   throughout   its   length   In'   a   small 
dvked  canal  called  the  Rivo  Battario.      ( )n 

M.ii/Hjitt'iid 

opposite   sides   of    the    latter,  and    opposite 

to  each  other,  there  were  then  still  standing 

the  chapels  dedicated  hv  Narses  to  Saint    I  heodore  and 

to  the  hol\'  niart\'rs  Geminianus  and  Menus. 

Furthermore,  the  foundations  of  the-  Campanile, 
which  tell  in  1902,  were  already  laid,  hut  the  work  was 
not  advancing  quickly,  and  the  surrounding  space  was 
obstructed  hv  the  heaps  of  materials  which  had  heen 
prepared  for  the  construction.  As  for  the  church  of 
Saint  Mark,  the  one  that  was  then  standing  must  ha\e 
strongly  resembled  the  next,  which  was  built  on  its 
ruins  bv  the  Doge  Pietro  Orseolo  after  it  had  heen 
burnt  down  m  975.  It  was  in  the  shape  of  a  (Ireek 
cross,  and  was  approached  hv  a  portico  like  almost  all 
churches  of  that  time.  \\  e  know  also  that  it  was  rooted 
with  thatch. 

1  here  were  as  vet  no  bridges  across  the  canals, 
though  we  mav  perhaps  suppose  that  there  was  a  single 
one,  built  of  wood,  between  Rialto  and  Ohvolo,  and  at 
that  time  there  was  no  great  number  ot  boats,  and  there 
were  none  that  resembled  the  gondola  tor  its  lightness 
and  speed.  Manv  ot  the  smaller  canals  were  atter\\  ards 
dug  tor  the  convenience  ot  getting  about  hv  water, 
where  in  the  tenth  centurv  there  were  narrow  lanes, 
dark  and  muddy,  and  the  receptacles  of  whatever  people 
chose  to  throw  out  ot  their  windows.  '1  hen,  and  long 
afterwards,  men  went  about  on  toor  if  thev  were  poor, 
or  on  horses  and  mules  if  thev  were  rich.  When  water 


4S  (il  1   \\I\CS    FROM    HISTORY  in 

hail   to   In-  iToSM-d   fliuv  \u-rr   fhit-bottonu-il    tri rv-h  >ats 


in       THE   RK1TBLIC    OF    SAINT    MARK       49 

been  applied  indiscriminately  to  several  kinds  <>t  boats, 
at  least  by  writers,  and  even  included  the  heavy  barges, 
manned  by  manv  oars,  which  towed  sea-going  vessels 
in  and  out  of  the  harbour,  through  the  intricate  chan- 
nels ot  the  lagoons. 

1  here  were  trees  in  \  enice  in  those  days,  both  scat- 
tered here  and  there,  and  also  growing  in  little  groves, 
where  voun*r  people  gathered  in  the  tine 

M/tf,  Costumi. 

season  to  pass  an  hour  in  singing  and 
dancing  and  story-telling,  and  in  making  music  on 
stringed  instruments  ot  fashions  and  shapes  now  long 
torgotten.  1  he  most  common  trees  \\ere  the  oak, 
the  cvpress,  and  the  'umbrella'  pine,  which  latter  is 
believed  to  be  indigenous  in  Italv;  but  there  were  cork- 
trees, too,  and  one  ot  them  afterwards  played  a  part  in 
the  tragedy  ot  Bajamonte  1  iepolo,  the  great  conspirator. 
\  emce  had  charm  even  then,  in  spite  ot  her  narrow 
and  unsavoury  lanes,  her  winter's  mud,  and  the  dust  ot 
her  summer  heat.  1  he  prettv  little  thatched  houses, 
side  by  side  along  the  water's  edge;  the  handsome 
churches  gleaming  with  mosaic  fronts  ;  the  dark  cvpress- 
trees  and  stone  pines,  and  the  vividlv  green  oaks;  the 
battlemented  towers  reared  here  and  there-  against  the 
clear  blue  sky;  the  rippling  waters  ot  the  lagoon;  the 
vessels  great  and  small,  with  sails  pure  white  or  dved 
a  rich  madder  brown  there  was  colour  everywhere, 
then  as  now,  there  was  air,  there  was  sunshine;  and 
there-  was  then,  what  now  there-  is  no  more-,  the  move-- 
nie-nt,  the  elastic  youth,  the  gladness  of  a  people's  lite 
]ust  ready  to  bloom  for  the-  first  time1. 


50  (II.  I.  \M\CS    FROM    HISTORY 


n 


I  hr\  It-il  i-asv  li\c's,  rhost-  earlv  \c-netians,  com- 
paivil  \\irh  rhf  rxistrmv  ot  tin-  Ir;ili;ms  mi  tlu-  peninsula, 
eas\  ami  i-\rii  luxurious,  atul  their  constant  intercourse 
hail  <M\en  tlu-iii  rlit-  love  ot  jewels  anil  silk  ami  all  rich 
ami  ran-  things.  Kvrn  in  tin-  tlavs  ot  Chark-niatitK-,  r!:c 


tlaiiu-s    ot    \  c-nu'i     \\oi\-    rnln-s    and    nianrlc-s    ami    \rils 
\\'hu'h   an  i-nipri-ss  woulil   nor   h;i\i-  ilisdaincil. 

C  ha  rlnna  L^IH-    hinisclt,    on    his    \\a\     to     I'liuli.    (inn 

halud  at    !'.i\ia   |iist   \\  IK  n  tin    ^n-at   tail'  \va.s  hi  •''!  \\lnrh 

'u-st  (it   nil   otln-rs  tlispla\'ctl  tin-  \\ralrh  ami 

imlustr\  ot  .ill   lt.il\  .  ami  tin-  \  rtu-nans  hail 

lu'niiM  it    rhirht-r  tin-   nrh   nu-rclianili.se   \\iih   \\  hirh   ihc\' 

hail  1'i.uKil  thru   ships  in  the   Last,  ami  hail  spread  "tit 


in       THE    REPUBLIC   OF   SAINT   MARK       51 

their  splendid  stuffs,  their  soft  Persian  carpets,  and  their 
costlv  furs. 

Then  the  rough  Franks  were  ashamed  of  their  coarse 

O 

garments,  and  began  to  buv  all  manner  ot  fine  woven 
materials  to  take  the  place  ot  their  woollen  tunics  and 
their  leathern  coats.  But  not  long  afterwards,  when 
the}'  were  all  hunting  in  the  deep  forest,  a  great  storm 
came  up  and  broke  upon  them,  and  the  rain  beat 
through  their  silks  and  the  thorns  tore  their  finer}'  to 
shreds,  and  the}'  were  in  a  sad  plight.  'I  hen  the  giant 
Emperor  laughed  aloud  at  their  mishap,  and  asked 
them  whether  the  goatskin  jerkin  he  wore  was  not  worth 
ten  of  their  soft  Venetian  dresses  when  the  rain  was 
pelting  down  and  the  winter  wind  was  howling  through 
the  wild-boar's  lair. 

I  he  old  paintings  leave  us  in  no  doubt  as  to  the 
Venetian  fashions  of  the  tenth  century.  The  nobles 
wore  a  long  tunic  tightened  to  the  waist  bv  a  belt  or 
girdle,  and  oxer  this  rhev  threw  a  mantle  of  rich 

O 

material  which  in  winter  was  lined  with  fur,  and  which 
was  fastened  on  one  shoulder  with  a  golden  pin,  like 
the  fibula  of  the  Romans  or  the  brooch  of  the  High- 
lander. On  his  head  the  noble  wore  a  cap  oddly 
adorned  with  two  ribbands  which  made  a  Saint  An- 
drew's cross  in  front. 

I  he  dress  of  the  matrons  was  not  verv  different,  but 
the  cloak  was  pinned  together  on  the  breast  instead  of 
on  one  shoulder,  and  was  cut  with  a  tram.  1  he  ladies, 
moreoxer,  wore  tunics  cut  low  at  the  neck,  even  in 
winter  and  out  of  doors,  which  seems  strange  enough. 


(il.l. AMNCS    FROM    HISTORY  in 


though  it  accounts  tor  the  quantities  ot  rich  fur  thev 
used.  I  heir  splendid  hair  tell  loose  upon  their  shoul- 
ders from  beneath  a  little  gold-embroidered  cap,  instead 
ot  which  VOUIILI  Liirls  often  wore  a  verv  tine  Liau/e  \eil. 
I  he  labouring  people  seem  to  ha\e  confined  then 
taste-  tor  \arictv  to  the  selection  ot  colours  suitable  to 
the  occupations  thev  followed,  ami  therefore  least  hkelv 
to  show  wear  ami  tear  and  stain. 

Kverv  one  worked  hard  in  those-  voting  davs,  trom  the 
Do m-  downwards,  at  the  administration  ot  the  Republic, 
.it  heautifving  flu-  citv.  at  commerce  and  the 
development  of   na \  i Cation  ;  and  as  tor  pla  v, 
the\'  were  passionate  lovers  of    tin-  chase  ami  ot   grebe- 
shooting.       I  he  latter  sport  was  the  delight  ot   rich  and 
poor  alike,  apparently  \\  it  bout  much  regard  to  the  time  of 
vear,  but  its  strict  rules  hindered  am  wholesale  slaughter. 
I  he   sportsman   dressed   himself    in   iMVen    m   ordei    that 
his   figure   might   not   scare   the   grebes,   as   he   poled    his 
narrow    punt         the  'fisolara  amongst  the  sed^i-  and 

reeds  at  the  mouths  of  the  rivers.  It  he  had  boatmen 
to  help  him,  thcv  wore  ^reen  too.  Now  it  seems  to 
have  been  the  rule  thai  no  weapon  should  be  used  in 
this  sort  of  shoot  in  Li  but  the  cross-bow,  charged  with 
cla\  bullets  iir  with  small  bolts,  and  it  would  ha\c  been 
thought  as  unsportsmanlike  to  snare  the  birds  as  it  is 
nowadavs  to  catch  trout  with  worms;  and  as  tin  Lii'ebe 
is  a  LI  re  at  di\cr,  wlu-n  in  darker,  and  is  b\  no  means 
easv  to  hit  with  a  Li""d  ^hot-Linn,  it  must  ha\e  required 
remarkable  --kill  to  shoot  him  \\ith  such  a  poor  weapon 
as  tin  cross-how  of  the  tenth  centun  .  I  In  \enetians 


in        THK    RFITBUC   OF    SAINT    MARK       53 

used  to  fasten  the-  heads  ot  the  birds  thev  killed  upon 
doors  and  windows  as  trophies,  ]iist  as  a  Bavarian  gen- 
tleman or  a  Black  Forester  ot  our  own  time  mounts  the 
horns  of  every  roebuck  he  shoots  and  hangs  them  in 
his  hall. 

It    I    have    dwelt    too    long    upon    these    details    it    is 


he-cause  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  a  sportsmanlike 
spirit  has  characterised  all  voting  nations ;  and  the  spirit 
ot  the  true  sportsman  is  not  to  kill  wantonly,  but  to 
measure  himself  in  strength,  or  skill,  or  speed,  against 
his  fellow-man,  and  against  wild  things,  and  often 
against  nature-  herself,  with  fairplay  on  both  sides;  and 
the  true-  delight  ot  his  sport  lies  in  doing  tor  pleasure 


54  (il.l. ANINCS    FROM    HISTORY  in 

\\  h;ir    his    ancestors   were    forced    to    do    in    tin-   original 
struck-  tor  lite. 

.And  so  after  this  brief  glance-  ar  carh  \cnu\-,  1  u<> 
on  ro  ,s|H-ak  ot  rlu-  circiimsrancrs  and  rlu-  nu-n  that 
pivsi'iitlv  directed  rlu-  voun^  state'  to  a  torni  ot  develop- 
ment \\hich  \\as  \\irhout  example  in  the  past  historv 
dt  nations,  and  was  destined  to  have  no  imitators  in  the 
future. 


IV 

VENICE  I'XDFR  THF  FAMILIES  OF  PARTF- 
CI  PA/10,    CANDIANO,    AM)    ORSFOFO 

I*  OR  historical  purposes  it  is  best  to  consider  that  \  emce 
was  reallv  founded  in  the  vear  S  i  i .  From  rhar  thitt- 
till  10^2  the  ducal  throne  was  occupied,  with  onlv 
three  exceptions,  b\"  a  Partecipa/io,  a  Candiano,  or  an 
Orseolo.  It  is  true  that  even"  Do^e  \\  as  elected,  but 
the  iircaf  families  \\ould  hardlv  have, been  human  it 


56 


Cil.KAMMiS    FROM    HISTORY 


rhev  had  nor  done  their  hest  to  make  the  dignity  hered- 
itar\  . 

1  hev  were  nor  afflicted  hv  that  strange  fatality 
under  which  the  Roman  C;esars  almost  always  died 
without  male  issue,  and  winch  led  the  Lmperors  to 
adopt  their  successors  and  to  make  them  coad|iitors  in 
rheir  go\ernment,  generally  with  tnhumtian  po\\eis; 
and  tour  centuries  were  to  elapse  hetore  the  race  of 
Hapshurg  was  to  fasten  itself  at  last  upon  rhe  Holv 
Roman  Kmpire,  never  to  he  shaken  off  so  long  as  it 
could  he^et  sons,  or  even  daughters.  I  he  *Mvat 
\eiietian  races  were  vital  and  fortunate,  and  reared 
LH-neration  after  lu-nerarion  tor  a  Lies,  \\irh  hardly  am 
diminution  ot  strength  or  \\  it. 

Bur  rhe  principle  on  \\  Inch  the\  attempted  ro  secure  to 
themselves  rhe  succession  to  a  power  which  was  heredi- 
tary was  the  same  \\lnch  tin-  Romans  followed  In  ton- 
tin  in  and  which  the  Hapshurgs  were  to  adopr  long 
afterwards.  I  hev  chose  their  own  successors  amongst 
those  nearesr  ro  them,  educated  them  ro  <M>\  eminent, 
made  them  helpers  in  their  rule,  and  designated  them 
in  thur  wills  to  succeed  in  their  places. 

1  In  iv  was  al\\avs  discontent  afrer  each  elecrion,  and 
rhere  were  often  serious  riots;  several  tloges  of  tins 
period  \\iTe  forceil  ro  ahdicate,  oi  \\eri  e\  en  exiled, 
and  ''in  ot  tlu-m.  at  least,  \\as  assassinated;  hut  the 
thirst  ot  the  great  families  tor  hercditan  po\\ei  \\as 
no?  diminished,  and  each  re\  ohitiona  i  \  risiii"  was 


iv  PARTP:CIPAZIO,  CAXDIAXO,  ORSEOLO  57 

Yet,  strange  to  say,  this  disturbed  condition  of  things 
neither  hindered  nor  retarded  the  growth  of  national 
prosperity.  1  he  three  factions  quarrelled  about  the 
ducal  throne  for  two  hundred  years,  hut  their  com- 
mercial activitv  was  not  in  the  least  diminished  bv  their 


differences.  I  hev  and  the  less  powerful  nobles  pos- 
sessed the  financial  instinct  in  the  highest  degree';  the 
cm/en  class  vied  with  them  as  traders  and  usurers,  and 
though  they  could  not  outdo  tlu-m,  having  started 
behind  them  in  the  race-  for  wealth,  thev  often  rivalled 
them;  and  as  for  the  people,  thev  were  the  reach*  and 
\\ilhni:  instrument.-,  of  their  masters,  thev  were  intrepid 


5S  GLKAMNGS    FROM    HISTORY  iv 

sailors,  they  were  patriotic  soldiers,  they  were  hard- 
working labourers,  and  they  seem  to  ha\e  eared  \erv 
little  \\  ho  was  Doj^e,  so  lon^  as  every  effort  they  made 
contributed  directly  to  their  own  \\  ell-bcin^.  And  this 
was  al\\  a\  s  the  cast-,  as  in  every  youn^  and  successful  state. 

Nevertheless,  the  continual  state1  ot  discord  between 
the  strongest  families  of  the  anstocracv  was  not  without 
its  had  results,  and  enemies  abroad  found  it  easv  to 
strike  unexpected  blows  at  the  Republic,  when  she  was 
least  prepared  to  retaliate.  Chief  amon^  these  enemies 
were  the-  Dalmatian  pirates,  whose  principal  stronghold 
was  the  citv  of  Xarenta,  situated  at  the  head  of  the 
L;iilt  of  that  name,  almost  over  against  Aneona.  1  he 
\  cnctians  seem  to  ha\e  been  more  than  a  match  for  the 
corsairs  when  actually  at  sea,  tor  their  merchant  vessels 
\\ere  fast  sailors  and  were  well  armed;  bur  the  Dal- 
matians lost  no  opportunity  ot  descending  upon  am 
corner  ot  the  Republic's  island  territory  \\hich  chanced 
to  be  letr  unprotected,  and  they  plundered  and  laid 
waste  the  land,  and  earned  off  the  people  into  slavery. 

One  "|   these  sudden   descents  of   the  corsairs  on  the 

day    ot    the    vearh     marriage   ceremonies    was    not   only 

strikingly    dramatic    in    itself,    but    became    one    ot    the 

t urniiiLi-points  m  the  history  of  the  Republic.       In  order 

that  what   happened  may  In-  clearly  understood,  I   must 

in    tin     first    place    hrieHv    explain    ho\\    marriages    were 

made  and  bo\\  rhe\   were  always  celebrated 

in    \enice  on  the    thirt\'-first  ot    January  at 

that     rime;     tor          cannot     remember    thai     a     similar 

custom    c\cr    obtained    in    any    other    citv    ancient    or 


iv  PARTECIPAZIO,   CAXDIAXO,  ORSKOLO  59 

modern.      I  may  add,  however,  that  in  their  claims  to 
an    extravagantly    ancient    descent   the   Venetians    pre- 


tended  to   have   inherited   the-    usage   directlv    from    the 
Babylonians. 

I  hmever  that  may  he,  it  is  quite  certain  that  in  those 


6o 


GLKAMN'GS    FROM    HISTORY 


VI 


(lavs  rlu-  h  rules  ot  \  emce  \\ \  -re  all  married  on  the  thirty- 
first  ot    January,  the  anni\  ersarv  of   the  translation  ot 


Saint  Mark  .s  Ixulv,  in  tin  I'huivh  <>t  San  I'urro 
d'()h\olo,  which  was  alwavs  tin-  cat  hcdi  al,  and  \\lnch 
no\\  lu-canu1  flu-  sci-ni'  of  one  ol  the  stian^tst  and 
most  I'oinantic  e\t-nts  in  the  lnstor\  ot  am  nation. 


iv  PARTECIPAZIO,   CANDIANO,  ORSKOJ.O   61 

rivalled,  Inir  certainlv  not  surpassed,  In  the  halt-mythic 
rape  of  the  Sabines  in  the  Forum. 

In  old  \  enice  the  women  were  treated  verv  much  as 
the\"  have  always  heen  in  the  East.  The}'  were  naturalh 
dignified  and  reserved,  or  enjoyed  that  /,,.  ,,-„/,, .,.„, ,/,,,, 
reputation,  hut  the  men  were  jealous,  and  I!>> 
would  not  trust  in  anything  so  inward  and  spiritual 
as  good  qualities.  'I  hev  held  that  the  equilibrium  of 
feminine  virtue,  though  alwavs  admirable,  is  generally 
of  the  kind  described  in  mechanics  as  unstable;  in 
other  words,  that  it  resembles  the  balance  of  a 
pyramid  when  poised  on  its  apex  rather  than  its 
secuntv  when  established  on  its  base.  I  hev  therefore 
watched  their  wives  and  daughters  and  kept  them  at 
home  a  great  deal,  insisting  that  thev  should  veil  them- 
selves when  the}'  went  to  church,  and  on  the  rare- 
occasions  when  thev  were,  allowed  to  go  elsewhere. 
1  he  maidens  wore  veils  of  pure-  white,  but  the 
married  women  were  allowed  colours.  1  he  onlv 
exception  to  the  rule  of  the  veil  was  made  on  the 
davs  of  the  'Sa<M"e,'  the  feasts  of  the  patron  saints  in 
the  different  parishes  of  the  citv  ;  then  even  the  girls 
were  allowed  to  wear  their  beautiful  hair  floating  on 
their  shoulders,  and  confined  onlv  bv  chaplets  of  flowers. 
I  hose  were  the  onlv  times  when  the  men  had  a  chance' 
of  seeing  them  to  ]udge  of  their  heaurv,  and  perhaps 
to  choose  a  wife  amongst  them,  and  thev  made  tin- 
most  of  it;  we  mav  even  suppose  that  the  custom  had 
been  originally  introduced  as  a  necessarv  one  if 
men  and  maidens  were  ever  to  be  betrothed  at  all. 


CM  (il.KAMNV.S    FROM    HISTORY  iv 

(  )ne  siuht  sufficed,  perhaps,  and  a  glance  or  two 
exchanged  as  rlie  long  processions  of  men  and  women 
went  up  into  the  churches  or  came  our  again;  and  after 
that,  when  the  nights  were  hue,  the  youth  took  his  lute 
and  went  and  made  music  under  the  chosen  one's 
window.  Hut  she  never  looked  out,  nor  showed  him 
so  much  as  the  tips  ot  her  white  fingers  in  the  moon- 
light; that  would  have  heen  unmaidenlv  and  hold.  It 
her  heart  softened  to  his  appealing  song,  a  single-  rav 
ot  light  from  hetween  the  close-drawn  shutters  was 
answer  enough;  if  not,  all  remained  dark,  while  the 
unhappy  lover  sang  his  heart  out  to  the  silent  lagoon. 
Hut  bein^  reassured  In  tlu-  friendly  rav,  not  once  hut 
manv  times,  the  aspirant  went  to  the  girl's  father  and 
hcgged  permission  to  make  her  his  'novice'  that 
meant  his  betrothed  until  the-  next  feast  of  blessed 
Saint  Mark. 

\\  hen  the  vouth  and  maul  were  sccretlv  agreed,  the 
course  of  love  generally  ran  smooth,  and  the  real  court- 
ship bewail.  Manners  were  simple  still,  dowries  were 
small,  the  only  conditions  to  be  considered  were  those 
of  lank  and  faction;  and  lew  lovers  would  have  been 
bold  enough  to  plav  a  Romeo's  part  in  \emce,  while 
the  lines  of  caste  were  even  then  so  closelv  drawn  thai 
still  fewer  would  ha\e  thought  of  o\  ersteppm^  them. 
I  hei'efore,  it  the  voting  man  was  of  as  good  a  famib  as 
the  voting  !_nrl,  and  it  he  did  not  belong  to  sonic  rival 
faction,  the  betrothal  \\as  announced  at  a  iM'eat  dinner, 
.it  \\hich  the  families  of  both  met  in  the  house  of  the 
maiden's  parents.  1  hen  the  vouth  renewed  his  request 


iv  PARTKCII'A/K),  CAXDIAXO,  ()RSI-X)LO   63 

before   them    all,    and    the    maid,  was   brought   to   him 
dressed  all  in  white,  and  he  slipped  upon  her  finger  a 


verv  plain  gold  ring,  then  called  the  '  pc-o.no, '  \\hieh  is 
to   sav,    the    pledge.      Sometimes    the    engagement   was 


64  Cl  I. \\I\CS    FROM    HISTORY  IN 

presided  over  In  ;i  priest,  ;nul  became  therein'  more 
solemn  ami  unbreakable. 

1  lu-  rniu-  ot  betrothal  was  called  tin-  mniciate,  as  it 
marriage  were  <>m-  ot  the  ho|\  orders  to  enter  \\luch  a 
term  ot  trial  is  exacted;  ami  while  ir  lasted  small  <Mfts 
were  exchanged.  So,  at  1', aster,  the  voting  man  brought 
a  special  sort  ot  cake;  at  Christmas,  pivser\es  ot  truit; 
on  l.adv  I)a\',  a  posv  ot  rosebuds.  (  )n  her  side  the 
voumj.  girl  ga\c  him  a  silk  scart,  or  something  made 
\\ith  her  o\\  n  hands.  Ir  is  told  that  the  daughter  ot  a. 
Doge  spent  three  vears  in  embroidering  with  silk  and 
<M>ld  a  shirt  which  she  nu-ant  to  <nve  to  the-  unknown 
\outh  \\hom  she  expected  to  lo\e  some  dav. 

\\hen  tin-  x'oiniL!,  people  came  ot  rich  families  thev 
iia\e  i-ach  other  also  small  trinkets.  imtahK  those-  little 
chains  ot  uold  called  'entrecosei,  \\hich  \\ere  spt-cialh 
maile  In  \i-nc-tian  goldsmiths.  Moreover,  \\hether  the 
jiresents  \\c'i'e  trinkets  or  silk  scarts.  cakes  or  rosebuds, 
thev  all  had  reference  to  good  luck  much  moiv  than  to 
anything  else,  and  it  \\ould  not  ha\e  been  sate  tot  either 
partv  to  semi  a  Liitt  not  included  m  the  old-tashionetl 
list.  1'or  tin-  \enetians  \\ere  superstitious.  I  ike  all 
\ioim<j;  races  whose  torrune  lies  before  them,  the\  sa\\ 
Sibils  ot  success  or  failure  in  small  things  at  e\er\  turn. 
I  he\  nidged  •  >f  the  immediate  future  In  the  pictures 
thev  s;i\\  m  the  coals  <>(  rheir  Lireat  \\ood  firc-s,  i-speci;dl\' 
in  cases  <>t  ajiproachmn  marn:i<ie,  b\  the  accidental 
spilling  nf  red  \\uie  (>n  the  cloth,  b\  the  passing  of  ;i 
hunchback  on  the  n^ht  or  the  left.  I  <>  upset  red  \\ine 
\\;is  luck\.  to  upset  oh\c-oil  presaged  death;  it  \\as 


iv    PARTKC1PA/IO,  CAXDEAXO,  ORSKOLO    65 

thought  to  indicate  a  great  misfortune  if  a  man  going 
out  of  his  own  house  came  Hrst  upon  an  old  woman. 
Similarly,  when  young  people  were  betrothed,  there 
were  objects  which  they  could  on  no  account  give  each 
other  as  presents.  1  he  forbidden  things  were  chiefly 
such  as  magicians  were  supposed  to  use-  in  their  incan- 
tations, and  among  these,  strangely  enough,  nothing 
was  reckoned  more  certainly  fatal  to  happiness  than  a 
comb.  It  anv  vouth  had  dared  to  offer  one,  however 
beautiful,  to  his  future  bride,  she  would  have  unhesitat- 
ingly returned  his  ring. 

At  that  time  the  church  did  not  require  the  publication 
of  bans,  a  regulation  which  became  necessarv  in  order 
to  put  a  stop  to  abuses  of  a  less  simple  age.  Instead, 
a  second  festive  meeting  was  held  at  the  house  of  the 
bride  a  tew  davs  before  the  marriage;  and  this  time, 
besides  the  near  relations  of  both  families,  the  'con- 
vicim,'  the  'fellow-neighbours,'  were  bidden,  as  the 
ancient  Romans  entertained  their  clients  on  great 
occasions. 

I  he-  bride  now  waited  in  her  own  room,  which  was 
alwavs  upstairs,  until  all  the-  guests  were  assembled  in 
rlie  'hall  of  the  fireplace'  on  the  ground  floor,  \\hen 
the  time  came,  the  oldest  man  of  the  fannlv  went  up 
to  fetch  her,  and  she  appeared  leaning  on  his  arm.  Sin- 
stood  still  a  moment  on  the  threshold  of  the  hall  and 
then  made  a  step  and  half  neither  more  nor  less 
towards  the  assembly.  Next,  and  leaving  her  com- 
panion s  arii,  she  made-  a  'modest  hrtlc  leap'  forwards, 
A  inch  she  followed  with  a  deep  courtesy,  and  then,  \\irh- 

V'  'I  .    I.  —  I-' 


hh  (iLKAMNGS    FROM    HISTORY  iv 

out  savin;.:,  a  single  word,  she  went  upstairs  to  her  room 
,iiul  staved  there  \\hile  the  feast  proceeded.  1  he  only 
\anation  in  the  ceremony  occurred  in  cases  where  the' 
I;. :ml\  \\as  ot  such  hiidi  rank  that  the  hnde  and  hnde- 
Liioom,  \\  i;!i  their  friends  and  near  relations,  were  ex- 
pected ,o  \  :sit  the  1  )oge. 

\\  hen  the-  lon.oH'Xpected  day,  the  thirty-first  of 
January,  came  at  last,  every  house  in  which  there'  was 
a  no\  ice  \\  a.s  asnr  hours  hetore  daybreak,  and  the  friends 
ot  each  were  waiting  under  the  windows  in  their  boats 
IO-IL;;  before  the  sun  was  up.  Meanwhile  the  bride  was 
divssed  for  the  dav,  more  or  less  richK'  according  to 
her  fortune,  bur  aiwavs  in  a  long  white  smwn,  and  with 
tine  threads  of  nold  twined  amongst  her  Mowing  hair. 

She  then  came  down  from  her  ov,  n  room  to  the'  hall 
of  the  fireplace,  where  her  father  awaited  her,  and  she 
knelt  meekly  before  him  and  her  mother  to  receive  their 
soK-mn  blessing  and  her  dowry,  which  it  was  customary 
that  the  bride  should  carry  to  the  church  herself,  en- 
el  >sed  in  a  casket  called  the  '  a  reel  la'  the  'little  ark.' 
I  he  historians  tell  us  that  it  was  never  a  very  heavy 
burden  .n  those  davs. 

hHe  ceremony  took  place  at  early  da\\n  in 
r\i  r\  i:  :isc  \\  h  I'c  there  \\as  to  be-  a  \\cdding,  and 
!>•  for1.-  th«  •  in  \\as  up  tin-  brules  \\ere  all  Liatheied  in 
'h  L  \vhrri  rhcv  ranged  tlu-msebes  rouwd  the 

''  U:    t!ii  ir  caskets    m    their   hands.        I  lu-n    at 
•     .      r>>onis  ma  le  tlu-ir  apju-arance.  arra\cd  in 
>:    their  '/!  i'h.->    :,n  1    accompanied   bv  their 
:,-!'.    .IN    \s  .      -  i  !,.  iti      a  '. 


otf  OLI.AMNOS    FROM    HISTORY  iv 

rmii'  in  their  own  phrase.  But  \  find  no  iiK-nrion  of 
;mv  bridesmaids. 

1  he  bishop  blessed  all  the  xoun*^  couples,  and  each 
bridegroom  slipped  upon  his  ladv's  finger  the  symbolic 
ring,  which  was  the-  same  for  all.  After  that,  gifts  of 
\II'!_MII  wax  were  left  for  the-  candles  of  the  cathedral, 
ami  each  newly-married  man  was  expected  to  give  a 
sum  of  monev  'in  proportion  with  his  opinion  of  his 
wife's  beaut\''  probablv  the-  most  elastic  measure  e\c-r 
ordained  for  tin-  <nvmo;  of  alms.  1  his  monev  formed 
a  fund  out  of  which  poor  brides  of  the  people  received 
a  do\vrv  in  the-  following  vear.  A  malicious  writer  even 
hints  that  this  secret  fund  was  some-times  misapplied  to 
compensate  for  such  ugliness  as  would  otherwise  have 
been  a  bar  to  marriage  altogether. 

1  he  Doge  himself  was  mvanablv  present  in  state 
during  the  ceremonv.  \\hich  therefore  had  a  distmcth 
official  character. 

On  leaving  the  cathedral  sweetmeats  and  small  cakes 
were  showered  upon  tin-  crowd  that  waited  without,  and 
the  respective  wedding  parties  returned  to  the  homes 
of  the  brides  to  spend  the  rest  of  the  dav  m  the  rather 
noisv  IMIUTV  and  uproarious  feasting  that  belonged  to 
those  rimes,  and  to  which  each  bridegroom's  best  man 
was  expected  to  contribute'  \\ith  a  present  of  rare  liquors 
a  ml  rich  old  \\  mes. 

\\  hen  e\  ening  came  at  last  the  b rules  \\ fi'e  K  d  i o  rheir 
ne\\  homes  \\  ith  SOIILL  and  pla\ mil,  of  nia n\  instrunu-nts  ; 
ami  on  thr  ne.xi  morning!  each  \oun^  couple  recei\'etl 
from  tile  best  man  a  symbolical  Li'tt  o)  tresh  CLILTS 


iv   PARTECIPAZIO,  CAXDIAXO,  ORSKOLO   69 

and  of  certain  aromatic  pastilles  ot  which  the  composi- 
tion is  unfortunately  forgotten.     Last  ot  all,  the  bride  was 


inven  a  work-basket,  containing  a  needle-case,  a  thimble, 
and  similar  useful  objects,  to  symbolise  the  industry 
she  was  expected  to  display  in  her  household  duties. 


;o  (ILKANINGS    FROM    HISTORY  iv 

Now  ir  came  ro  pass,  in  the  reign  ot  rluj  Doge  Pietro 

Candiano  III.,  about  the  year  951),  that  a  gang  of  Istnan 

pirates  conceived  the  hold  idea  ot  descend- 

AVw. /.  _>jv.        ! 

ing  upon  the  cathedral  on  the  marriage 
morning,  and  ot  carrying  oft  bodily  the  brides  and 
their  dowries. 

At  that  time  the  Arsenal  was  not  built,  and  the 
little  island  on  which  it  stands,  and  which  lies  close  to 
Ohvolo,  was  still  uninhabited.  During  the  night  be- 
tween tlie  thirtieth  and  the  thirty-first  ot  January  the 
corsairs  ran  their  h<dit  vessels  under  the  shelter  ot  this 
island,  and  stole  ashore  while  it  was  vet  dark,  to  lie  in 
wait  in  the  shadow  near  the-  cathedral. 

As  usual  the-  brides  came-  first,  with  their  families, 
and  ranged  themselves  round  the  high  altar,  with  their 
caskets  in  iheir  hands,  to  wait  tor  their  affianced  hus- 
bands. At  that  moment  the  pirates  rushed  into  the 
church,  armed  to  the  teeth  and  brandishing  their  drawn 
swords  in  the  dim  light  ot  the'  lamps  ami  candles. 
1  here  \\as  no  struggle,  no  resistance;  the  unarmed 
men,  most  ot  them  elderlv  and  at  best  no  match  tor 
the  daring  robbers,  were  paralysed  and  rooted  to  the 
spot,  the-  women  screamed,  the  children  Hcd  in  terror  to 
the  dark  corners  ot  the  church,  and  in  a  moment  the 
darinu  deed  was  done.  It  bail  been  so  well  planned, 
and  was  executed  with  such  marvellous  rapiditv,  that 
the  robbers  reached  their  vessels,  carrvinj;  the  twirls  and 
their  caskets  in  their  arms,  and  succeeded  in  pushing 
off  almost  without  striking  a  blow;  and  doubtless  thev 
laughed  unmlv  as  the  liiiht  bree/.e  filled  their  sails  and 


iv   PARTECIPAZIO,  CANDIAXO,  ORSKOi.O    71 

hore    them    swiftly    out    through    the    chanm/is    of    the 
lagoons. 


One  may  guess  at  the  faces  of  the  cheated  bride- 
grooms when  they  reached  the  cathedral  and  came  upon 
the  hysterical  confusion  that  followed  upon  tin-  rohherv. 


-  (,l. i:\M\CS    FROM    HISTORY  iv 

1  lu-re  was  no  loss  ot  time  rlu-n.  and  there  was  little 
waste  of  words.  I  he  Doge  headed  them,  dressed  as 
he  was  in  his  robe  <>t  state-,  men  found  \\eapons  where 
thcv  could,  and  all  made  tor  the  nearest  bo.its,  and 
sprang  m  and  rowed  like  demons;  for  the  pirates  were 
still  in  siLihr.  I  hen  the  hree/e  that  had  sprung  up  at 
>unrise  failed  all  at  once-,  and  the  Istnans  niLiLicd  at 
their  long  sweeps  with  might  and  mam;  hut  the  men 
ot  \eniee  Alined  on  them  and  crept  up  nearer  ami 
nearer,  and  nearer  still,  and  overtook  them,  and  hoarded 
them  in  the  Caorle  lagoon,  ami  slew  them  to  a  man, 
themselves  almost  unhurt.  Also  the  chronicler  savs, 
that  ot  all  those  fair  and  frightened  Liirls  not  one  ivcened 
so  much  as  a  scratch  in  that  awtu!  carnage;  hut  the 
men's  hands  \\ei\-  red  with  tin-  hlood,  and  thev  could 
not  wash  them  clean  in  the  sea  because  ir  was  red  too; 
and  so,  red-handed  and  \ictoriotis,  thcv  brought  their 
brides  back  to  land  and  married  them  before  tin-  sun 
marked  noon,  and  the-  reducing  was  great. 

I  hese  things  happened  as  I  have  toKl,  and  though 
the  chroniclers  do  not  all  ajM'ee  precisely  as  to  the  vear, 
tin-  differences  between  their  dates  are  not  important, 
and  all  tell  how  the  event  was  commemorated  do\\  n  to 
the  last  davs  of  the  Republic.  I'or  it  appears  that  a 
LM'eat  number  of  those  men  \\ho  so  hravelv  puriued  the 
pirates  \\en  box-makers,  'casselen.'  of  the  parish  ot 
Santa  Maria  I'ormosa,  and  \\heii  that  famous  da\  \\,;s 
o\er  rhe  I  )o^e  asked  them  what  reward  the\  desired. 
hut  the\,  hem <j.'  simple  men,  askeil  onb  that  the  Doge 

•  if    \enicc    should    come   e\er\    \'ear   to    their   church    on 


iv  PARTKCIPAZiO,  CAXC1AXO,  ORSFOLO    73 

the  second  clay  ot  February,  which  is  the  Feast  of  the 
Purification.  '  But  what  it  it  rains  :'  asked 
the-  Doge,  for  that  is  the  ramv  season. 
'  \\  e  will  give  you  a  hat  to  cover  you,'  thev  answered. 
'.And  what  if  I  am  thirsn  :'  the  Doge  asked,  jesting. 
'  \\  e  will  give  \'ou  drink,'  said  the  box-makers.  So  it 
was  agreed,  and  so  it  was  done,  and  the  feast  that  was 
kept  thereafter  was  called  the  beast  of  the  Manes,  and 
it  was  one  ot  the  most  graceful  festivities  of  all  the  manv 
that  the\  enetian  imagination  invented  and  kept.  I  shall 
describe  elsewhere  more  fullv  how  the  Doge  came  to 
Santa  Maria  Formosa  every  year  on  the  appointed  clav, 
and  how,  in  memory  of  the  bargain,  the  people  of  that 
quarter  made  him  each  year  a  present  ot  straw  hats  and 
Malmsey  wine.  It  was  a  sort  of  public  homage  to  the 
women  ot  \  enice  until  the  war  ot  Chioggia,  towards  the 
end  ot  the  fourteenth  centurv,  and  it  is  onlv  fair  to  sav 
that  the  lovelv  objects  ot  such  a  splendid  tribute'  did 
much  to  deserve  it.  But  after  that  time-  main  things 
were  changed,  and  there-  remained  ot  the  beautiful  Feast 
ot  the  Manes  nothing  more  than  the  Doge's  annual  visit 
to  the-  church,  instituted  bv  Pietro  Candiano  III. 

1  he-  immediate-  result  ot  the  bold  attempt  and 
condign  punishment  ot  the-  Istnan  pirates  was  a  series 
of  punitive  expeditions  against  them  which  laid  the 
foundation  ot  Venice's  power  on  the  mainland,  and  in 
tins  struggle',  it  in  nothing  else,  the  Doge-  was  fortunate 
in  Ins  last  vcars.  But  an  evil  clestmv  was  upon  him 
at  home-. 

In    his   old    a <>;e    he-    associated    one-   ot    Ins    sons   with 


-4  GLEANINGS    FROM    HISTORY  iv 

him  111  rlu'  ducal  authority,  also  called  Pietro,  'at  the 
suggestion  ot  the  people/  sa\\s  Dandolo  in  Ins  chronicle. 
.As  I  have  said,  this  was  the  usual  plan  followed  by  the 
families  that  sought  to  make  the  dogeship  hereditary. 

1  he  vounger  Pietro  was  wild,  ambitious,  turbulent,  and 
wholly  without  scruple,  and  he  at  once  took  advantage 
ot  his  position  to  plot  against  his  father,  in  the  hope  o* 
reigning  alone.  But  he  was  found  out  and  hindered 
bv  the  people,  who  rose  suddenly  in  stormy  anger  and 
laid  violent  hands  upon  him,  to  kill  him  without  trial. 
^  et  his  father  was  generous  and  succeeded  in  saving 
him  from  death,  and  tried  him  for  his  deeds,  and  sent 
him  into  exile. 

1  hen    Pietro  the  younger  turned  pirate  himself,  and 
armed  six  fast  vessels  and  harassed  the  \  enetian  traders 
all  down  the  .Adriatic.      Hut  meanwhile  in- 
still had  a  strong  party  of  friends  tor  him  in 
\  enice.  and  their  influence  grew  quickly,  even  with  the 
people,   and    many   secret    influences   which   we  can    no 
longer  trace-  were  brought  to  bear  tor  him;   until  at  last 
the  \  enetians  themselves,  who  had  tried  to  murder  him, 
decreed  him  the  ducal  crown  and  thesupreme  power,  and 
recalled  him  and  deposed  his  a^ed  father.       1  he  old  man 
dud  \\  ithm  a  tew  weeks,  and  all  he-  could  bequeath  to  his 
wife  was  'a  vineyard  surrounded  bv  walls'  on  the  short 
ot  San   Pietro;    and   Pietro  Candiano  1\.  ruled  atom-. 
He    did    outrageous    deeds    to    strengthen    his    power. 

I  o  win  the  protection  of  the  Kmperor  Otho  he  forced 
hu  wife  to  take  the  \eil  in  the  convent  ot  Saint  /.acha- 
rias,  and  obliged  his  only  son  bv  her,  \  itale,  to  become 


iv    PARTKCIPAZK),  CANDIANO,  ORSHOLO    75 

a   monk.      Having   thus    disposed   of    them,   he  took  to 
wife  Gualdrada,  the  sister  of  the  Marquis  of  Tuscany, 


a  princess  of  German  origin,  of  great  wealth,  a  subject 
and  a  relative  of  the   Kmperor  himself. 

1  rusting    in    this    great    alliance',     Pietro    no    longer 


(JLKANINGS    FROM    HISTORY  iv 

concealed  the  designs  he  entertained  tor  himself  and  his 
taiiiih  .  branches  ot  which  \\ere  establishetl  in  Padua  and 
\  iceii/a.  \\here  the-\  enjoyed,  and  ceTtamlv  exacted,  tin- 
highest  consideration.  I  nelccel,  most  of  the  Candiano  men 
seem  to  have  married  women  allied  to  iviLMimg  princes. 
1  he  Dooe,  their  head,  now  garrisoned  with  (lerman 
soldiers  a  number  ot  fortresses  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
1'errara,  \\hich  hail  come  to  him  with  his  \\ife;  lastly, 
he  did  what  every  tyrant  has  done-  since  history  he^an, 
he  surrounded  himself  with  a  mercenary  bodyguard 
of  desperate  men  \\lio  had  everything  to  gain  hv  his 
success,  and  everything  to  lose  it  he  tell.  After  this 
he  showed  plainly  enough  that  he-  meant  to  emancipate 
himself  altogether  from  those1  counsellors  which  the 
Re-public  imposed  upon  him  in  all  the-  important  affairs 
ot  state'. 

Me-  miidit  have  succeeded  in  am  otlu-r  state-,  bur  m 
\emcc  his  \\as  not  the  only  family  that  aspired  to  the 
supre-me  power.  His  de-eds  had  be-e-n  \iolent,  high- 
handed, outrageous,  such  as  would  condemn  the-  chie-f 
of  am  community  that  called  itself  free-;  the-  Orseolc 
watched  him,  lav  in  wait  for  him,  trapped  him,  ami 
compassed  his  end.  I'ollowing  their  lead,  the-  people 
formed  themselves  into  a  \ast  e'onspirae'v,  and  at  a 
signal  flu-  ducal  palace  \\as  snrrouneled  on  all  sides. 

llu-   DOLLC  \\ould   ha\e  fled,  but   it   was  too  late,   tor 

ever\    door  was  watched  and  strongly  guarded.      In  his 

despair  he  attempted    to   take   sanctuary  in 

Saint   Mark's  church,  which  \\as  connected 

\\  ith  the  palace  b\   a  dark  and  narnm  etit  r\  .        I  hither  he 


iv  PARTECIPAZIO,  CAXDIANO,  ORSKOLO    77 

hastened,  with  his  wife,  their  little  child,  and  a  tew  of  his 
faithful   bodym.iard;    hut  the  conspirators   had   remem- 


bered the  secret  corridor  and  were  there,  and  thev  he\\ed 
him  down,  him  and  the  child  and  even*  man  ot  his 
attendants.  1  he  women  thev  sulk-red  to  <_r'>  unhurt. 


rs  (il.l-.AMNCS    FROM    HISTORY  i\ 

1  hen  rhev  dragged  our  the  dead  bodies,  e\  en  the 
child's,  and  ga\e  them  over  ro  rlu-  rage  ot  rhe  furious 
populace  to  he  spurned  and  insulted,  until  OIK-  just  man, 
(iiovanni  Ciradem^o,  stood  forth  and  claimed  them,  hv 
\\iiar  right  1  know  nor  except  that  ot  decencv,  and 
buried  them  in  the  comvnt  of  Saint  Hilarv.  Mean- 
while rhe  rabble  had  tired  the  palace,  and  the  Harms 
devoured  ir  and  spread  to  the  church  of  Saint  Mark  ; 
and  further,  a  great  number  of  houses  \vere  burnt  do\\  n 
on  that  dav,  \\  herein'  rhe  chiefs  of  the  conspirac\'  \\ere 
brought  into  discredit  with  those  whose  properrv  was 
destroyed.  But  1'u-rro  Orseolo  was  chosen  ro  be  Do^e. 

No\\  rhe  doiH-ss  (iiialdrada,  breathing  \t-nmance  on 
them  that  had  murdered  her  husband  and  her  little  son, 
rook  refuse  on  rhe  mainland  and  came  ro  Piacen/a,  ro 
the  courr  of  the  Kmpress  Adelaide,  \\  ho  \\as  rhe  \\ulo\v 
of  (  )rho  I.  and  rhe  mother  of  (  )rho  11.,  then  reionin<;. 
1  here  (Iiialdrada  cast  herself  at  Adelaide's  feet  and  told 
h'.-r  Lirief,  mijilonng  justice  and  righteous  vengeance; 
and  her  cr\'  \\as  heard,  for  soon  the  voting  I'.mperor 
summoned  \enice  ro  account,  nor  for  the  assassinarion 
nt  the  Dour,  bur  for  \iok-nce  done  ai^amsr  Ciualdrada 
and  for  the  murder  of  her  son. 

\enice  \s'as  in  no  stati-  ro  face  rhi-  Hob  Roman 
Km  pi  iv  alone,  and  she  oheved  rhe  summons  In  sendm<i 
rhe  patrician  \ntomo  (inmani  ro  Piacen/a,  \\ith  orders 
to  explain  ro  the  Kmpivss  rhat  rhe  Republic  was  not 
altogether  n-sponsib  e  for  the  cruel  deeds  dom  In  a 
handful  i't  her  cin/ens.  I  he  ambassador  spoke  lonsj; 
and  \\cll.  setting  foi'rh  the  mu|iiiries  of  the  DoLie  I'utio 


iv   PAk'ITCIPAZIO,  CANDIANO,  ORSKOLO    79 

Camliano,    and    promising   to    make    full    reparation    to 
( iiialdrada. 

There  they  sat,  in  the  hall  of  the  castle  ot  Piacen/a, 
the  old  Empress  in  her  robes,  surrounded  by  the  Mower 
of  her   northern    knights,  and  before   them      h\>m.i.j52. 
Antonio    (inmani,  the    ambassador,   repre- 
senting the  person  ot  the  Doge  Orseolo;    and  Gualdrada 
was  not  there,  but  the  envoy  of  her  brother,  the  Marquis 
of  Tuscam  ,   came  to   speak   tor   her,   appealing  to   the 
]ust  sense  ot  the  court. 

At  a  gesture  from  the  Empress  this  personage  came 
forward,  bearing  a  sealed  letter  as  his  bnet,  written  with 
(jualdrada's  own  hand,  and  he  broke  the  seal,  and  pre- 
sented to  the  ambassador  ot  \  enice  the  note  ot  her 
demands.  Then  and  there  an  inventory  was  made  our 
of  all  the  properrv,  both  personal  and  real  estate,  which 
had  either  composed  her  dowrv,  or  which  had  been 
promised  to  her  bv  her  husband,  or  which  should  have 
been  hers  as  the  heiress  ot  her  murdered  child;  and 
Antonio  (inmani  did  not  hesitate,  but  promised  tor  the 
Republic  that  everything  should  be  restored. 

On  her  side  Gualdrada  then  declared  that  she  gave 
up  all  thoughts  ot  vengeance  against  the  state-  ot  \  emcc, 
the  reigning  Doge  or  his  successors,  and  she  signed 
\\ith  her  own  hand  the  solemn  act  which  the  imperial 
notarv  drew  up,  and  bv  which  the  mutual  engagement 
was  ratified.  So  the  grim  business  ended;  and  Gual- 
drada  took  lands  and  gold  tor  her  child's  blood  and  her 
husband's,  as  was  the  manner  in  the  Middle  Ai^es,  and 
went  back  to  her  '1  uscan  home,  and  lived  finely,  and 


married,    tor   auidit    I    knou,    ;nul    \\as    happv    for   ever 
attcru  ards. 

Mete,  on  tin-  heels  ot  trai^edv,  tollous  romance,  in 
the  same  tannlv  ot  Canchano;  or  perhaps  ir  is  <>n!v 
legend,  ot  the  kind  tin-  old  chroniclers  lo\rd  so 
well. 

Klena,  the  lo\t.!v  daughter  ot  a  Pietro,  \\ e  know  not 
which,  tell  deep  in  lo\e  \\itli  ( iherardo  (iuoro;  and 
this  lo\e  ol  hers  v  as  a  jj;rca.t  srcu't,  ior  he  \\as  ncitlu-r 
rich  nor  noble,  and  had  small  hope  ot  being  accepted 
as  a  son-in-law  bv  a  I)o<:e  \\  ho  was  ahvavs  iiitnmnm1;  to 
make  brill;:'!1.!  niari'iaLH-s  tor  his  tannlv.  Hut  I'.lena  had 
a  nui'.se  \\  h  >  lo\  ed  her  dearb;  and  pitied  the  pair,  and 
hi-lpv  J.  them  to  meet  a^::m  and  a<jain,  till  at  last  the\ 
\\~ere  married,  and  none  but  tin-  old  nurse  knew  it. 
No\\,  therefore,  (iherardo  sought  tortune  and  set  out 
on  a  vox'aii'i  to  the  Last;  and  \\lnle  in-  was  a\\a\,  1'u-tro 
Candiano  told  his  daughter  that  he-  would  betroth  her 
to  \ittor  HeleiMio.  In  he!'  tt-rror  the  miTs  heart  stood 
still,  and  she  till  into  a.  trance  so  death-like  that  it  was 
mistaken  tor  death  itself,  and  on  the  same  dav,  accord- 
m L:  to  tin-  immemorial  custom  ot  Italv,  she  lav  in  hei 
cothn  m  tin-  c'ltheilral.  Hut  within  a  te\\  hours,  as 
love  and  !  ate  \\.)iiul  b.axr  it,  (iherardo  (  iuoro  came 
saihtiLi  back,  onl\  to  U-arn  ot  her  sudden  death,  \\ild 
\\ith  Lirirt  he  rushed  to  the  cathedral,  and  b\  i  ravers, 
entreaties,  an-'  bribes  piv\aiK-d  upon  the  sacristan  to 
open  fht  tomb.  :.tul  help  him  to  wrench  ot}  the  lid  <>| 
the  cotbn.  \\hen  In  sa\s  ii'M'  face  hi'-  passmn.-fi  tears 
broke  out,  ami.  httin"  the  h(  lo\ed  head,  lie  kis  >  ]  her 


iv    PARTI-;CI PA/10,  CANDIANO,  ORSKOLO    81 

again  and  again;   and  his  kisses  brought  the  colour  to 
her  cheek,  tor  she  \vas  not  dead,  and  he  held  her  in  his 


arms,  and  she  grew  warm,  and  lie  took  her  alive  our  of 
the  place  ot  death,  in  a  dream  of  wonder  and  |ov.  So 
when  IV-rro  the-  l)oo;e  saw  that  his  daughter  \\as  alive 


82  (;i,K.\M.\r,S    FROM    HISTORY  iv 

again,  lie  was  glad,  and  forgave  them  both  and  blessed 
them;  and  afterwards  they  lived  happily. 

In  point  of  age  I  think  this  is  the  oldest  existing  ver- 
sion ot  the  story  of  Romeo  and  Juliet,  and  the  one  From 
which  all  the  other  forms  of"  the  legend  were  afterwards 
derived.  It  would  he  interesting  to  pursue  the  inquiry 
further,  to  find  out  how  many  different  shapes  the  talc- 
has  assumed  in  the  course  of  ages,  and  in  how  many 
instances  it  has  been  founded  on  fact;  for  that  some  of 
the  stones  are  more  than  half-true  I  have  not  the 
slightest  doubt. 

J  he  power  of  the  Candiano  family  was  broken  when 
Pietro  I\  .  and  his  little  son  were  murdered,  and  tin- 
strong  race  of  the  Orseolo  now  sei/ed  the 

97(>  -''•'''• 

ducal  throne,  and  tried  to  make  it  heredifan 
with  themselves.  They  had  cleared  tin  way  by  \iolence, 
and  they  pursued  their  way  to  power  without  scruple. 
It  was  Pietro  Orseolo  who  had  been  the  soul  of  the 
revolution  against  the  last  Candiano,  and  it  might  have 
been  expected  that  his  supporters  would  set  him  up  as 
Doge;  but  it  seemed  wiser  to  proceed  more-  cautiously, 
and  with  singular  foresight  they  put  forward  another 
member  of  the  family,  also  called  Pietro,  a  man  of  tin- 
most  profound  religious  convictions,  and  who  had  led 
such  a  holy  life  that  he  was  regarded  as  a  saint  on 
earth. 

I  he  family  were  not  mistaken  in  proposing  his 
candidacy,  a  parallel  to  which  may  be  found  in  tin- 
election  of  tin-  saintly  hermit,  Pietro  da  Morrone,  to 
be-  pope-,  by  way  of  solving  the  difficulties  which  had 


iv    PARTECIPAZ1O,  CAXDIAXO,  ORSFOLO    8.3 

produced    a    long    vacancv    of    the    papal    sec.      Pictro 
Orseolo  was  acclaimed  Dime  without  opposition. 

But  piety  is  not  always  energy,  and  virtue  has  little 
or  nothing  to  do  with  the  greatness  of  princes.  1  he 
holy  man  felt  himself  weak  in  the  face  of  the  troubles 
caused  by  the  hatred  of  his  own  family  for  that  of  its 
predecessors  in  power,  and  when  he  saw  what  great 
responsibilities  were  accumulating  upon  his  shoulders, 
and  what  dangers  menaced  the  state,  he  quietly  made 
up  his  mind  to  leave  the  world  behind  him  and  to  end 
his  life  in  a  Camaldolese  monastery  in  Aquitame.  1 
find  the  best  account  of  this  extraordinary  vocation  in 
Mr.  Ha/htt's  recent  work  (published  in  ii;oo);  and 
incidental!}'  I  feel  bound  to  sav  that  this  writer,  whose 
original  book  has  now  developed  to  very  solid  dimen- 
sions, has  searched  the  chronicles  and  later  authorities 
upon  \  enetian  history  with  a  care  and  a  conscientious 
thoroughness  quite  unequalled  bv  anv  other  historian 
who  has  treated  of  the  same  subject.  \\  e  are  free  to 
differ  with  Mr.  Ha/htt  as  to  some  of  his  conclusions, 
and  as  to  the  particular  stories  he  has  preferred  to 
follow  where  the  legends  are  many  and  contradictory; 
but  for  thorough  and  detailed  accounts,  according  to 
the  different  chronicles,  the  Fnidish  reader  must  go 
to  him. 

In   the  late  summer  of   the  year  ()~~  the   ^ood    I)oo,e 
Orseolo  received  the  visit  of  a  learned  and  holy  French- 
man,   \\ann,  who  was  the  Superior  of    the 
Abbey  of   Saint   Michel  de  Cuxac  in  Aqm- 
raine,  and  who  had  come  to  \  emce  to  see  tor  himself 


S4  Cl.l.AMNCS    FROM    HISTORY  iv 

the    place   where   the    Fvangehst    \\as    laid.       I  he   Doge 
received   him  as  became  his  rank  in  the-  church,  and  the 
t\\o    good    men    were   drawn    to   each    other 
hv     that     profound     though     instantaneous 
svmpathv   which   most  of    us   have   felt   at   least  once   in 
life.      Ot   tin'  two,   \\arm   had   the  stronger  nature,   and 
recoimismg  the  true  monk  in  the  devout   Doge,  he  bath- 
up    the-   \\orld,   to   which    he-    had    never   reallv 
iii^ed,   and   follow   Ins   manifest   vocaf'on. 

Metro     Orseolo     had    been     married    at    tin-    a^e    of 
i 


\o\\s  ot  chasntv.  and  had  afterwards  gi\en  up  their 
h\'es  to  the  care  ot  the  poor,  and  to  xisitm^  the  hospices 
and  hospitals. 

\nd  no\\\  lonii  after  that,  \\arm  argued  \\ifh  Pietro 
and  urged  him  moiv  and  more-  to  renounce  the  \\orld 
altogether;  hut  I'ictro  \\as  as  \\ise  as  he  \\as  gootl,  and 
he  kne\\  that  it  was  his  dun  to  lea\e  e\"er\'thmg  in 
oriler  to]-  his  successor,  and  he  accordingly  claimed  a 
year  in  \\lnch  to  prepare  for  his  retirement. 

1  he  monk  \\ann  had  to  admit  that  he  was  right, 
and  the\  pai'ted  on  the  first  of  September.  (  )n  that 
s:i!iie  da\.  one1  \'ear  later,  \\arm  returned  ami  \\aited 
tor  the  I  )on(.  in  f|lt.  nionaster\'  of  Sam  Mario.  1'ietro 
K  tt  his  house  alone  in  the  nijjjit  and  ]oined  him,  tlressc-d 
as  a  piliii'im ;  at  midnight  the\  mounted  s\\ih  horses 
and  set  out  upon  their  lonn  |ourm-\'  \\t-st\\ards,  and 
tin  tiiLMti\e  was  not  missed  till  late  on  tin-  lolloumii 
moiniri".  Some  accounts  sa\  that  ()rseolos  \\ite  had 


HALL  OF  THE  GLOBES,  DUCAL  PALACE 


iv    PARTFCIPA/K),  CANDIANO,  ORSFOFO    85 

alreadv  taken  the  \  eil  in  the  nunnery  of  Saint  /achanas  ; 
others  assure  us  that  she  was  dead.  It  matters  little, 
for  the  one  fact  stands  undenied,  that  Pietro  Orseolo 
Hed  from  the  dogeship  of  \  emce  to  he  a  novice  in 
France,  in  one  of  the  most  rigid  religious  orders  of 
that  time  There  he  lived  in  peace  tor  nineteen  years 
till  he  died  in  the  odour  of  sanctitv;  hut  oxer  seven 
hundred  vears  passed  before  he  was  officially  canonised 
and  took  his  place  in  the  calendar,  after  which  the 
French  king  returned  his  hones  to  \  emce.  1  here  is 
a  picture  in  the  Museo  Civico  representing  him  and  his 
wife  dressed  as  monk  and  nun,  and  kneeling  before  a 
Madonna. 

J  he  pohcv  of  the  Orseolo  familv  in  putting  forward 
a  saint  to  represent  them  had  not  been  verv  successful, 
for  after  Pietro's  flight  thev  found  themselves  deserted 
hv  the  factions  thev  had  led  against  Pietro  Candiano 
I\  .;  and  in  the  election  which  followed  the  holv  man's 
sudden  abdication,  one  more  Candiano  was  chosen 
Doge  in  the  person  of  \  itale,  of  that  name.  At  the 
same  time  two  powerful  alliances  were  formed,  the  one 
between  the  Candiano  and  the  Caloprmi,  of  which  the 
object  seems  to  have  been  to  set  up  some-  sort  of 
despotic  government  under  the  protection  of  the  1  lolv 
Roman  Kmpire;  the  other  between  the  Orseolo  and 
the  Morosim,  who  held  to  the  old  alliance  with  Bv/an- 
tmm  and  the  Fast.  Sismondi  and  others  senouslv 
derive  the  names  of  these'  two  families  from  (ireek 
words  si^ml \iiii!;,  for  Morosim,  the  '1'nends  of  1'ools,' 
and  for  Caloprim,  the  'People  \\lio  bo\\  themselves 


CI.KAMNGS    FROM    HISTORY  iv 

skilf'ullv'  in  other  words,  perhaps,  rlu1  dupes  ;iml 
their  flatterers.  (  )t  the  two  it  \\as  the  flatterers  rhar 
came  to  iM'iet,  however,  whereas  the  Morosmi  ha\e 
continued  to  Rounsh  even  to  our  o\\  n  rime.  I  knov\ 
nor  whether  these  derivations  lia\e  anv  value.  \ictor 
Hu<M>,  \\lio  did  not  know  (iieek,  once  suggested  rhar 
rhe  I-  ivnch  word  'ironie'  might  he  den\ed  from  the 
Knidish  word  '  iron.' 

Manv  hlood\'  encounters  took  place,  in  which  the 
nobles  of  \  enice  took  sides  \\ith  one  partv  or  the  other, 
as  their  personal  interests  suggested,  and  at  last  the 
Calopnm,  who  were  hated  h\'  the  people,  were  forced 
to  leave  \enice.  ^  et  trusting  to  the-  support  of  the 
I'.niprcss  Adelheid,  or  Adc'laule,  in  an  e\il  hour  the\' 
\cnturetl  to  come  hack  a  te\\"  \'ears  later;  hut  the 
Morosmi,  \\lio  had  gro\\  n  stronger  in  rhe  meantime, 
till  upon  them  and  put  them  all  cruelK  to  death,  so 
that  of  that  ^reat  hou.se  onlv  three  \\ido\\(.-d  women 
remained  ah\e  to  mourn  the  dead. 

Ir  \\as  rime  rhar  some  strong  hand  should  <j,rasp  rhe 
reins  aiul  dn\'e  rhe  car  of  state  through  the  slouch  of 
chaos  ;md  hlood  m  \\hich  it  was  stuck  fast,  out  upon 
rlu  hroad  hr^h\\a\  of  tame.  I  he  hand  was  reaih,  and 
tin-  rime  had  conn- ;  in  tin  rear  cytyi  1'ietrn  '  h'seolo  II. 
mi  Hinted  t  ic  ducal  1  h  r<  me. 

!'  1'iim  rhe  first  he  tinvu  all  his  t-m  r^\  into  .1  s\  stemanc 
campaign  against  the  pirates  of  the  \dnatic,  \\hose 
lathers  had  carried  oil  tin  Venetian  hrules.  I  hev 
had  paid  tor  then"  rashness  \\ith  their  h\es,  and  their 
discendants  had  never  a"am  come  so  near  the  cm, 


iv  PARTECIPAZIO,  CAXDIAXO,  ORSrXMX)    87 

vet  the  affront  was  not  forgotten,  and  an  expedition 
which  had  their  destruction  tor  its  object  appealed  to 
the  men  of  \  enice  as  tew  other  incentives  could. 

\\  ith  a  strong  fleet  the  Doge  set  sail,  and  visited  the 
coast  cities  of  I  stria  and  Dalmatia  one  by  one.  They 
hailed  him  as  a  liberator,  tor  they  were  especially 
exposed  to  the  attacks  ot  the  corsairs,  and  in  return 
tor  the  protection  ot"  the  Republic  they  placed  their 
liberty  in  Pietro  Orseolo's  hands.  He  wiselv  received 
them  as  federal  allies  rather  than  as  subjects  ot  \  enice, 
though  thev,  in  their  haste  to  be  protected,  would  not 
have  retused  to  submit  themselves  to  him  as  conquered 
cities.  He  received  them  indeed  under  the  shadow  of 
the  standard  ot  Saint  Mark,  but  he  lett  to  each  one  full 
and  unhampered  liberty  to  govern  itselt  as  it  should  see 
tit,  requiring  only  a  small  yearly  tribute  in  acknowledg- 
ment ot  what  was  to  be  a  teudal  supremacv.  1  he  town 
ot  Arbo  was  to  pav  ten  pounds  ot  silk,  tor  instance, 
while  Pola  paid  two  thousand  pounds'  weight  ot  ohvc- 
oil  vcarlv  to  teed  the  lamps  of  Saint  Mark's  church, 
and  so  on,  through  a  long  list;  and  so,  bv  token  ot  a 
tew  skins  ot  oil,  ot  a  handful  ot  silk,  \enice  hrst  m>t 
supremacv  over  the  eastern  Adriatic  cities,  with  all  the 
vast  advantage  to  her  commerce  that  lav  in  owning 
harbours  and  warehouses  all  along  the  coast  almost  as 
tar  as  Greece.  From  that  time  1  neste.  Capo  d'  I  stria, 
Rovigno,  and  all  the  sea-coast  cities  ot  Istna  became 
Venetian,  and  /ara,  long  an  allv,  and  Salone,  and 
Spalatro  and  Ragusa;  ami  the  islands  too,  Coronota, 
Bra/'/a,  and  manv  others,  clou  n  to  tin-  islets  ot  Corsola 


88  GLEANINGS    FROM    HISTORY  iv 

and  La/ma,  which  stood  firm  tor  tin-  pirates,  miardin^ 
the  approach  ro  Narenta,  their  chief  cirv.  Inir  there, 
a.s  all  the  chronicles  agree,  the  I)ooc  put  forth  his 
strength,  and  In-  took  those  places  in  hard-fought  hattlc 
ami  smote  them,  and  uttcrlv  \\astcd  them  \\ith  tire  and 
the  sword,  so  that  from  that  dav  tlu-ir  strength  was 
gone,  and  the  Adriatic  was  tor  mam  centuries  treed 
trom  the  terror  ot  their  deeds. 

1  hen,  turning  homeward,  Pietro  Orseolo  \isired  the 
\  ast  provinces  he  had  annexed  to  \enice,  and  because 
he-  had  destroyed  the  corsairs  tin-  people  even  \\  here 
received  him  with  <M'eat  |o\ ,  and  acclaimed  him  Duke 
ot  Dalmatia  In  common  consent;  ami  tin  Do^es  \\lio 
came  attei'  him  hoi\-  the  well-earned  title  during  man\p 
hundreds  ot  \'ears. 

No\\    it  canu-  to  pass  that  when  the  voung   I'.mpi-ror 

(  )tlio    111.,   m\  stic,  tier\  ,  enthusiastic,   lieai'd  ot    all   this 

success,  he  telt  a  very  great  loiiLMmj,  to  \  isit 

I'letro   ( )rseolo    and    to    set    the    wonderful 

water-city    of     which    all     the    \\orld    was 

he<_Mnmnu    to    talk;    and    he   secretlv    told    his    \\ishes   to 

his   pn\\    councillors,  hut   tlu\    nmild   not    hear  »f   Mich 

a    thinsi,    and    he.    heing    \c'R     \iuum,    \\onld    not    act 

openlv    against    their    aihice.       v  et    he    persistt  il    in    his 

nm  nt  \>  >n,  \\  h  ile  he  held   his  p(  ace. 

So  at  la^t,  on  a  \\aiin  and  moonlight  m^hi  in  the  icar 
(yiyS,  a  hiiat  manned  In  eight  nun  silenth  approaclu-d 
tlu  hit  e  is  and  ol  San  Servnlo,  imt  far  trom  tin  >  it\  ; 
and  tuo  men  stepped  mit  up«in  the  shore  and  \\eiit  up 
and  knocked  at  the  door  <>t  a  halt-ruined  hmldinii, 


iv    PARTECIPAZIO,  CANDIANX),  ORSKOKO    89 

once  a  monastery  ot  Benedictines.  A  man  of  imposing 
stature  opened  and  let  them  in;  hut  soon  three  fisher- 
men came  out  by  the  same  wav  and  got  into  a  skifr 
that  lay  waiting  hard  hy,  with  two  of  their  companions, 
for  the  larger  hoat  had  disappeared;  and  thev  pulled 
over  to  the  city. 

1  hen  in  the  moonlight  the  skifi  was  quietly  rowed 
all  ahout  the  citv,  stopping  here  and  there,  wherever 
there  was  something  worthv  to  he  seen;  and  if  anv  of 
the  belated  townsfolk  noticed  the  little  hoat  and  its 
crew,  no  one  guessed  that  it  hore  the  voung  Kmperor 
Otho  himself,  and  the  Doge,  and  the  Secretary,  Paul 
the  Deacon,  who  himself  tells  the  tale  of  the  nocturnal 
visit.  Having  succeeded  once-,  the  Kmperor  came 
again,  less  secretly,  and  spent  davs  in  the  Doge's  palace, 
hut  still  he  preferred  not  to  he  openly  known,  so  that 
he  might  he  the  more  free  to  go  ahout  the  city.  'J  here 
was  a  romantic  strain  in  his  short  life,  in  his  intense 
enthusiasm,  m  his  profound  hehef  in  a  divine  noht  to 
reign;  there  was  a  faint  foreshadowing  of  a  stronger 
Kmperor  \\ho  is  come  in  our  own  dav  to  claim  what  he 
claimed,  and  to  do,  perhaps,  what  he  could  not  do.  \\  ith 
the  strenuous  reaching  out  after  higher  things  Otho  felt 
youth's  longing  to  know,  in  an  age  when  it  was  possible 
for  one  man  to  master  all  the  knowledge  of  his  time, 
and  it  was  surelv  this  desire  that  most  of  all  brought 
him  oxer  to  Venice  that  hrsr  time.  Doubtless,  too, 
because  Venice  was  counted  with  the  Kast.  his  adxisers 
foresaw  trouble-  in  a  too  open  friendship  between  him 
and  the  Doge.  Hut  his  earlv  death  ended  such  dan<HT, 


go  (II.I.AMNCS    FROM    HISTORY  iv 

it  ir  ever  existed,  ;nul  all  that  remains  is  the  stnrv  of 
his  \\aiuleniiiis  In'  night,  in  Hsherman  s  dress,  through 
the  still  and  moonlit  \\  ater\\  avs  <-t  the  voting  cirv. 

Like  the  Partecipa/io  and  the  Camhano  houses 
which  had  ruled  helore  him,  I'ictro  ( )rseolo  no\\  took 
measures  to  make  the  sovereignty  hereditary  in  his 
familv.  In"  associating  his  own  son  (jiovanni  in  the 
ducal  honour,  and  further  hv  marrvin^  him  to  a  Princess 
Marv,  who  \\as  the  daughter  of  one  of  the  ]omt  Km- 
perors  of  the  hast  and  the  niece  of  the  other.  1  hi'  pan" 
svere  united  in  Constantinople-  according  to  the-  (Jrcek 
rite,  and  with  the  utmost  pomp  and  magnificence,  and 
(iiovanni  \\as  onx-n  the  rank  of  an  imperial  patrician. 
On  their  return  to  \enice,  he  and  his  beautiful  hrule 
\\ere  recened  h\"  the  people  with  demonstrations  of 
enthusiastic  jov,  and,  according  to  Sansovmo,  it  \\as  on 
this  occasion,  and  at  tin-  express  request  of  the  \  enetians 
themselves,  that  (iio\anm  was  united  ln~  his  father  to 
share  in  the  power.  It  mav  \\ell  In-,  ami  it  matters 


(  )rseolo  was  much  preoccupied  In   the  still  smoulder- 
ing hatred  of  the  C'andiano  faniily,  and  In-  sought  to  sat- 
isi\   their  ambition  In    marr\'in^  his  second 
son.   Domenico,  to   Inu-Kla,  grand-dauiihter 
of    1'ietro  C'andiano    I\.   and    Richclda.      Mis  thud   son, 
OttMiK  ,    \\hen    still    \er\'    \OUIIL:,    he    married    to   (in/a, 
sister   'i|     Saint    Stephen,    Km^   of     Hun<j.ar\  ;    and    ins 
daughter  Hicela  was  inven  to  the    KIULI.  of  Ci'oatia. 

Strong    m    these    alliances,    still    voun^    m    vears,    and 
nch!\    endoued    \\ith   the    health    and    l>eaur\    that    \\tre 


iv    PARTECIPAZIO,  CANDIAXO,  ORSKOLO    91 

hereditary  in  his  family,  Orseolo  II.  might  well  have 
looked  forward  to  a  long  and  happy  career,  and  to  the 
certainty  of  leaving  the  sovereignty  to  his  descendants 
throughout  centuries  to  come.  1  hen,  about  the  year 
1009,  a  comet  suddenly  appeared  in  the  sky,  and  famine 
and  plague  ravaged  \  emce  and  the  world.  Amongst 
the  verv  hirst  victims  were  Giovanni  and  his  young 
wife,  and  Orseolo  himself  did  not  long  survive  them. 
I  he  mortality  was  such,  according  to  old  Dandolo,  that 
there  was  not  time  to  dig  graves  for  all  who  died,  and 
such  tombs  as  were  not  full  were  opened  and  crammed 
with  dead. 

Ottone  Orseolo  succeeded  his  father,  when  the  power 
of  the  name  seemed  at  its  height;  but  under  him  came 
the  fall  and  exile  of  his  family,  and  the  end  of  the  period 
during  which  the  dogeship  was  more  or  less  hereditary 
in  the  houses  of  Partecipa/io,  Candiano,  and  Orseolo. 
1  hat  period  is  a  labyrinth  of  uncertainties  and  a  ma/.e 
of  conflicting  anachronisms.  Scarcely  two  chroniclers 
place  the  same  events  in  the  same  year,  and  thev  are 
rarelv  agreed  as  to  matters  even  more  important.  I  n- 
mistakable  history  does  not  make  its  appearance  in 
\emce  till  the  ele\enth  centurv,  and  not  till  the  de- 
scendants of  Pietro  Orseolo  II.,  the  greatest  Doge 
who  hail  vet  reigned,  were  exiled  from  \  emce,  and 
excluded  for  ever,  bv  a  special  law,  from  holding  office 
under  the  Republic.  I  her  mav  have  found  some- 
consolation  in  the  fact  that  one  of  their  house  inherited 
the  throne  of  Saint  Stephen. 

A    tew   vears   later,   the    Dom-    Domemco    Flabianico, 


CI.KAMNCS    FROM    HISTORY 


i  \ 


or   Flobemgo,  sustained   bv   an   assembly  <>t   tin-  clergy 
and  tbe  people,  introduced  a  law  In  which 


the  chief  ot  the  Republic  \\as  forbidden  to 

associate  anv  one  with  himself  in  the  power,  and  bv 
which  be  was  constrained  to  accept  tbe  'assistance'  of 
two  counsellors.  1  In-  nomination  ot  these  was  tbe  first 
step  towards  tbe  creation  of  those  manv  offices  bv 
which  the  Dole's  action  was  limited  little  bv  little,  till 
he  became  the  mere  figure-head,  it  not  tbe  scapegoat, 
ot  the  Republic  be  was  supposed  to  govern. 


V 


VENICE    AM)    THE    FIRST    CRUSADES 

IT  is  nor  mv  intention  to  attempt  in  these-  pa^es  an 
unbroken  narrative  of  earlv  \  enetian  historv.  Such 
attempts  have-  hc-c-n  mack-  in'  men  <>t  great  and  thorough 
learning;,  hut  thev  have  tailed  in  part  or  altogether 
he-cause-  it  is  (jiute  impossible  to  trust  the  onlv  sources 
ot  information  which  have  conn-  down  to  us.  1  hese 
uin'ee,  indeed,  more  or  less;  that  is,  rhev  agree  |iist 
nearly  enough  to  make  it  sure-  that  something  like  the- 


94  GLEANINGS    FROM    HISTORY 

event  rhev  narrate  in  such  \vulelv  different  \\avs  ac- 
tualh'  took  place-,  in  some  vear  to  he-  chosen  at  \\ill 
from  the  several  dates  thev  give-.  Hut  that  is  all,  until 
nearlv  the-  end  of  the  Middle  Ages. 

(  )ne  thing  must  not  he  forgotten:  \enice-  was  not 
the  onlv  maritime  republic  in  Italv,  e\'en  in  the  ninth 
and  tenth  centuries.  I  here  were 'at  least  three  otheTs, 
Arnalfi,  (ienoa,  and  Pisa,  which  at  that  time  \\ere  as 
prosperous,  and  seemed  hkelv  to  hcj  as  long-lived,  and 
ot  which  the  commerce  in  the  eastern  Mediterranean 
was  alreadv  much  more-  important  than  that  of  \  enice. 
In  the  end  \  enice  outdid  them  because  she-  was  isolated 
from  Italv;  literally  'isolated,'  since-  she  was  built  on 
islands  in  the  sea. 

Enidaiul  owes  her  independence,  and  the  Hritish 
Empire-  therefore  owes  its  existence-,  to  t\\entv-oiic 
miles  ot  salt  water.  A  much  less  formidable  water 
barrier  gave  \  emce  a  thousand  vears  of  self-government. 
I  he  vast  advantage  of  protection  bv  water  was  perhaps 
not  evident  to  the  \enetians  more-  than  ruo  or  rhive 
times  in  their  history,  anv  more  than  the  same  advantage 
has  he-en  actualb'  felt  bv  Englishmen  more  than  twice 
or  thrice,  but  those  few  occasions  were  most  critical; 
it  has  be-e-n  present  all  the-  time-,  and  the  e  lie  nnes  of 
\enice,  as  of  England,  have  alwavs  reah/ed  \\ith  dis- 
ma\'  the-  dithcultv  of  attacking  a  nation  to  whose-  coun- 
rr\'  nu-n  cannot  walk  dr\'-shod. 

1  he  otlu-r  three  Lireat  maritime  republics  did  nor 
possess  this  prime  permanent  advantage  of  isolation  In' 
water.  \malfi  was  taken  and  retaken  In  land  po\\ers; 


v     VENICE   AND   THE    FIRST   CRUSADES     95 

Pisa  was  ultimately  subjugated  bv  the  Florentines,  the 
landsmen  who  lived  nearest  to  her;  and  Genoa,  with  a 
surviving  semblance  of  freedom,  became  tributary  to 
the  Mouse  of  Savoy  in  the  eighteenth  centurv.  \  enice 
alone  of  the  tour  held  her  own  till  the  davs  of  Napoleon, 
protected  to  some  extent,  perhaps,  by  a  sort  of  tacit 
but  general  European  agreement  to  consider  her  a  city 
of  pleasure,  but  also,  and  alwavs,  by  that  water  barrier, 
which  multiplies  the  strength  of  a  citv's  defenders 
tenfold,  and  divides  to  dangerously  small  fractions  the 
powers  of  those  that  assail  her. 

It  may  seem  fruitless  to  try  to  recall  in  a  few  words 
how  Pisa  and  Genoa  rose  to  maritime  power;  but  it  is 
not  possible  to  pass  over  in  silence  the  period  during 
which  Genoa,  \  enice's  great  rival,  was  growing  up  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  peninsula,  nor  the  time  in 
which  Amalfi  and  Pisa  were  becoming  powers  in  the 
Mediterranean. 

Amain,  most  strange  to  say,  though  she  was  the 
first  to  disappear,  left  to  the  civilised  world  at  large'  the 
greatest  legacy.  1  o  one  of  her  cm/ens,  Havio  Gioia, 
we  owe  the  manner's  compass;  to  her  we  owe  the 
manuscript  of  the  Pandects  of  Justinian,  bv  which,  as 
Sismondi  >ustiv  savs,  all  western  Europe  came  hack  to 
the  studv  and  practice  of  Roman  law;  to  Amain  we 
owe  those  laws  regulating  maritime  traffic,  which  are 
the-  foundation  of  the  modern  sea-law  of  civilised 
nations.  And  as  if  this  were  not  enough  tor  her 
glorv.  it  is  to  Amalfi  that  the  order  of  Knights  Hospi- 
tallers of  Saint  John  of  Jerusalem  owes  its  exigence, 


I;M  (il  I.AMNCS    FROM    1IIS1ORY  v 

tin-  oldest  order  of    knighthood   rh;ir  still   survives,  no\\' 
knoun  as  tlu-  Sovereign  Order  ot   Malt.i. 

\r  its  greatest,  tlu-  Republic  of  . \nialh  embraced 
n<>t  more  than  fifteen  or  sixteen  villages  besides  the 
little  capital  itself,  scattered  alono  tlu-  southern  side  <-f 
tin-  Sorrcntine  peninsula,  some  perched  on  the  inac- 
cessible Hanks  ami  spurs  ot  a  mountain  that  rises  out 
ot  the  sea  to  a  height  of  ncarlv  five  thousand  feet, 
sonic-  Innlt  u  here  wild  gorges  widen  at  the-  wafer's  edge. 
I  hat  breakwaters  were  built  out  into  flu-  sea  before 
Amalfi  and  1'ositano  against  the  terrific  south-westerly 
Liales,  \\  (.•  partlv  know  and  partK  miess ;  that  the 
capital  and  the  dependent  villages  \\c-rc1  stron^Iv  forti- 
hed  mav  easiK'  In-  pro\ed.  Bur  \\hat  is  left,  rhou^li 
beautiful  bcvond  description,  is  so  little,  and  that  little 
is  so  exiguous,  that  tlu-  thou^brtul  tra\elK-r  asks  with  a 
sort  of  unbelieving  wonder  lu>\\  the  Amalhtans  can 
e\er  ha\i  disjMited  the  lordship  ot  the  sea  \\ith  the 
^n-atest,  and  possessed  their  o\\n  rich  quarter  in  e\er\' 
rhriNinn  harbour  0}  the  I'.ast;  and  how  tlu-v  c-an  liavc 
Linen  the  maririnie  \\orld  its  first  rules  ot  the  road,  or 
sent  out  rich  and  splendid  trams  of  knights  to  one 
crusade  after  another.  ^  et  thev  did  all  these  filings 
In-fore  the\  sank  from  power  and  disappeared  and  were 
lost  in  the  turmoil  ot  South  Italian  history. 

\e\t  greater  in  strength  to  sur\'ive  i~anie  I'isa,  a 
contrast  to  \malh  in  almost  every  condition,  and 
a  po\\er  \vlnch,  \\lu-n  at  us  heiiiht,  was  of  morij  ini- 
piorrance  in  history  because  history  was  then  less  chaotic. 

Not    hacked    anamst   steep    mountains   like    Amalti    and 
^  i 


x     VENICE   AM)   THE    FIRST   CRUSADES     97 

Genoa,  hut  built  in  the  rich  alluvial  soil  of  the  delta  ot 
the  Arno,  where  the  widening  stream  afforded  a  safe 
harbour  tor  ships;  not  isolated  in  a  natural  fortress  of 
rocks,  but  easv  of  access  bv  land  as  well  as  bv  sea,  anil 
therefore  easv  to  quarrel  with  and  often  in  danger,  Pisa 
possessed  the  natural  advantages  of  a  modern  capital 
like  London  or  Paris  rather  than  the  natural  defences  of 
a  strong  citv  of  the  Middle  Ages.  But  the  times  were 
not  ripe,  and  Horence  was  too  near,  jealous,  turbulent, 
commercial  and  usurious,  a  dangerous  enemy  in  war, 
and  a  terrible  competitor  in  peace.  No  countrv  has 
produced  simultaneously  so  manv  cities  as  Italv,  anv  of 
which  might  have  become  the  capital  of  a  nation.  I 
can  onlv  compare  the  tremendous  vigour  of  her  growth 
at  mam"  points  at  once  to  that  of  a  strong  oak-tree 
broken  of}  near  the  ground  bv  a  tornado,  and  sending 
up  shoots  from  the  stump,  so  tall,  so  straight,  so  vital 
that  each  one,  if  the  others  were  cut  awav.  would  grow 
in  a  few  vears  to  be  a  tree  as  tali  and  robust  as  the 
pan-in.  \emce,  Palermo,  Naples,  Pisa,  Genoa,  1'lor- 
ence,  Milan  might  not  anv  one  of  these  have  grown 
to  be  a  nation's  capital  :  .And  can  anv  other  nation  of 
Europe  show  as  much  .' 

I  hi-  tenth  century  was  not  far  advanced  when  Pisa 
possessed  an  immense  fleet  and  was  alreadv  sj;overninii 
herself  as  a  republic.  A  proof  ot  her  importance  lies 
in  the-  fact  that  when  Otho  the  Second  was  at  war  with 
the  South  and  meditated  annexing  to  his  Empire  what 
remained  of  the  old  Greek  colonies.  In-  applied  to  Pisa 
to  lend  him  ships  wherewith  to  transport  his  troops  to 

V'  il..    I.  -   -II 


uS  (il  1.  \\l\XiS    1-ROM    HISTORY  v 

Calabria.       Ills   sudden    death,   however,   put    an   end   to 
ih1.-    iK-ootiat ions,    and    the   se\en    nobles   whom    he    hail 


v    VENICE  AND  THE   FIRST   CRUSADES     99 

the  privilege,  and  became  the  founders  of  that  great 
Ghibelline  partv  by  which  the  destinies  of  the  Pisan 
Republic  were  guided  so  long  as  she  maintained  her 
independence. 

Amalri  sent  out  traders  to  the  East  and  knights  to 
tight  for  the  holy  sepulchre;  but  her  knights  did  not 
tight  to  win  land  tor  her,  nor  did  her  traders  ever 
become  colonists.  Pisa,  like  Venice,  sought  to  extend 
her  territory.  At  that  time  the  daring  Saracen  chief 
named  Mousa  Moses  —  settled  himself  on  the  eastern 
and  southern  coast  of  Sardinia,  and  carried  his  depreda- 
tions far  and  wide  on  the  Italian  shore  and  through  the 
1  uscan  archipelago.  Seizing  his  opportunity  when  the 
Pisan  fleet  had  sailed  southwards  to  help  the  Calabnan 
(ireeks  against  the  Saracens  of  Sicily,  Mousa  and  his 
pirates  entered  the  mouth  of  the  Arno  bv  night  and 
landed  in  the  suburbs  of  Pisa.  1  he  terrified  cm/ens 
were  waked  bv  the  yells  of  their  assailants  amidst  the 
flames  of  their  own  dwellings,  and  it  the  corsairs  had 
possessed  anv  local  knowledge  of  the  citv  its  history 
might  have  gone  no  further  than  that  night.  But  in 
their  ignorance  they  had  landed  on  the  wrong  bank  of 
the  river,  and  had  fired  the  suburb  instead  of  the  citv 
itself;  a  woman,  and  some  sav  that  she'  was  a  noble 
ladv,  made  her  wav  through  the1  confusion  across  the 
bridge  to  the  Consul's  dwelling,  the  church  bells 
were  rung  backwards  and  roused  the  sleeping  garrison 
to  arms,  and  the  Saracens,  surprised  bv  the  prospect  of 
energetic  resistance',  withdrew  hastily  to  their  ships  and 
dropped  down  the  river.  1  he-  pen!  was  past. 


ioo         (ILL  \M.\(;S    FROM    HISTORY  \ 

But  \\  hen  the  fleet  came  hack  from  the  South  ven- 
geance \\;is  sworn  upon  Motisa  and  his  pirates,  and 
the  conquest  ot  Sardinia  was  a  forerun-  conclusion. 
So  I'isa  rose  to  power,  and  (  iciioa  en\u-d  hci"  and 
!'  lorence  too,  and  those  lon<i  wars  bci^aii  \\lnrh  ciuK-il 
in  IKT  destruction  and  lu-r  absorption.  \\  luK-  \  i-nicc 
had  In-c-n  distrnctfd  h\~  inrc-rnal  tacrions.  In  tin-  ti-iuls  ot 
Caiuhano  and  Orseolo,  Morosini  and  Calopnni,  the- 
'Dupes  and  the  1'  latteivrs,'  I'isa  had  at  least  en]o\'eil 
the  honour  ot  H^htmg  and  vanquishing  a  horde  ot  un- 
hehe\c-rs.  And  meanwhile  ( Jenoa  had  risen  also  to 
much  the  same  degree  of  prosperity  and  strength,  so 
that  \\hen  l\-ter  the  Hermit's  cry  ran<_^  through  tin- 
Christian  \\orld,  rousino,  the  faithful  to  \\in  hack  the' 
llol\  Land,  tin-  tour  ;_Mvat  Italian  maritime  rejiubncs 
were  almost  equals  in  \\calrh  and  influence,  and  in  the 
Heets  of  \\hich  the\  could  dispose. 


histor\  of  \enice,  m\  readers  \\ill  he  grateful  it  I  sjiare 
tlu-m  tlu-  too  untrustworthv  de-tails  \\irh  \\hich  tin- 
chroniclers  till  up  their  accounts  of  the  ele\ellth 
cenrur\'.  In  addition  to  \\hat  I  ha\e  said  about  the 
Liro\\rh  ot  the  n\al  ri'pubhcs,  however,  it  mav  In- 
mentioned  that  hefore  the  Lircat  mo\i-nient  of  the 
hrsf  cru.saile,  the  \c-netians  had  more  than  oner  meas- 
ured themsehes  \\ith  the  Normans  in  the  Levant, 
and  pertectL  \\ell  understood  the  position  ot  affairs 
in  tin  south  of  Italv  and  Sicilv,  \\here  the  sons  ot 
lancred  i  it  llautexilk-  had  carried  exervihniLl  before 


v    YhMCh   AND   THh    FIRS'!'   CRUSADKS    101 

\  emce,  Genoa,  and  Pisa  played  almost  equal  parts 
in  the  general  European  movement  that  followed,  and 
the  \  enetians  need  not  he  greatly  blamed  it  thev 
derived  profit  from  a  source  that  should  have  vielded 
onlv  honour  to  those  who  sought  it.  1  he  \  enetians 


_ 


combined  glorv  with  business,  it  is  true-,  but,  on  the 
other  hand,  no  one  expected  them  to  transport  men 
and  horses  to  the  hast  for  nothing;  and,  since  thev 
were  the  best  provided  with  vessels  suitable  tor  that 
purpose,  it  was  a  foregone  conclusion  that  a  large  part 
ot  tin-  transportation  should  be  dom-  bv  tlvm.  More- 
over, when  all  is  told,  there  were  tev\  indeed  amongst 


i  ii.r.  \.\  I.M  K>    i-  KI  MI    1 1 1>  i  i JK  i  \ 

;il!  those  hundreds  ot  thousands  \vh<>  wore  the  cross 
\\lio  had  the  ri^ht  to  reproach  their  fcllou.s  and 
companions  tor  hoping  to  combine  the  salvation 
ot  their  souls  with  some  improx  eniciit  in  their  earthlv 
fortunes. 

It  was,  ot  course-,  natural  that  the  Italians,  who  are 
the  least  sentimental  people  in  Kurope,  should  under- 
stand the  worldlv  advantages  which  were  sure  to  follow 
in  the  wake  ot  that  great  tidal  wave  ot  sentiment 
which  rose  troni  the  depths  ot  Kurope  at  Peter  the 
Hermit's  crv,  advanced,  tremendous  and  irresistihle, 
over  land  and  sea  to  tin-  most  eastern  limits  ot 
Christian  civilisation,  to  topple  and  break  at  last  upon 
Jerusalem  itselt  in  a  thunderous  chaos  ot  disaster  and 
success. 

1  he  contused  history  ot  the  wars  in  which  \  i  nice 
was  engaged  during  tin-  nvcltth  cenrurv  is  intimately 
connected  \\'ith  that  ot  the-  tirst  and  secoiul  crusadi-s, 
though  it  cannot  be  said  that  the-  \  etu-tians  pla\'ed  a 
very  i^reat  parr  in  either  as  Hghting  crusaders.  It  is 
hard  to  tollow  e.xai'th  \\hat  took  placi-  when  the  \\hoK- 
\\orld  that  surrounded  the  Mediterranean  \\as  in  a  state 
ot  ferment  and  wild  contusion;  hut  it  cannot  he  denied 
that  the  \  eiu-tians  made  tin-  most  of  the  new  opportuni- 
ties presented  to  them,  and  the\  never  neglected  .1  chance 
ii{  enriching  themselves  at  a  time  when  a  vast  amount 
of  monev  was  brought  into  circulation  to  pav  tor  the 
transportation  and  victualling  of  armed  hosts.  |  he 
Republic,  e\  en  at  the  outsit,  was  m  possession  of  a 
fleet  that  elicited  the  admiration  of  Kuropc.  No  other 


v    VENICE  AND   THK   FIRST   CRUSADES     103 

nation  owned  ships  ot  such  varied  tvpes  well  suited  to 
different  purposes.  Thev  had  vessels  called  '  hippogogi,' 
intended,  as  the  name  indicates,  tor  the  transportation 
ot  horses,  ot  which  each  was  ahle  to  carry  a  consid- 
erable number.  I  hey  had  tast  vessels  called  also  bv 
a  Greek  name,  'dromi,'  some  ot"  which  are  stated  to 
have  been  a  hundred  and  seventy-five  teet  over  all; 
and  though  of  light  draught,  such  ships  can  hardly 
have  been  ot  less  than  three  hundred  tons  register  and 
over.  They  had  a  main  deck  and  an  upper  deck,  which 
the  chronicler,  who  was  totally  ignorant  ot  nautical 
matters,  presumes  to  have  been  assigned  respectively 
to  the  fighting  men  and  the  seamen  who  worked  the 
ship.  Several  ot  these  vessels  carried  timber,  so 
fitted  as  to  be  rapidly  built  up  into  a  turret,  reaching 
to  the  battlements  ot  sea-girt  fortresses  and  towns, 
and  thev  were  provided  with  engines  tor  throwing 
stones,  heavy  wooden  bolts  with  iron  heads,  and  boiling 
pitch. 

It  was  undoubtedly  at  this  time  that  the  great  nvalrv 
rose  between  Venice  and  Genoa,  when  both  were  sup- 
posed to  be  helping  the-  Christian  cause  in  the  East.  It 
happened  more  than  once  that  a  convenient  pretext  tor 
these  quarrels  presented  itselt  in  the-  shape  ot  sacred 
relics  ot  saints,  coveted  alike  bv  I'isans,  Cienoese,  and 
Venetians;  and  to  obtain  such  precious  spoil  thev  slew 
each  other  without  hesitation  or  remorse.  1  hev  not 
onlv  trusted  that  the  saint,  when  bodily  m  their  posses- 
sion, would  bestow  his  richest  blessings  upon  those  who 
had  fought  tor  him,  but  thev  were  also  well  aware  that 


irmc     \\ould     without     doubt     attract     numerous 
pilgrims  to  their  citv,  ;nul  therein   prove  a 
permanent  source  ot    gam.      Ir  \\as  111   this 
wav  that  the  \  enetians  succeeded  m  carrv- 
miM>rf  from  the  island  of  Rhodes  the  hodv  ot 
Saint  Nicholas,  in  order  to  exhihit  it  to  the 
u-neration  ot  the  faithful  in  the  church  rhev  had  alivadv 
built    to    him    on    the    Lido;     not    main     vears    passed 
hetore  rhev  succeeded   in   stealing  from  Constantinople 
the  hodv  ot  Saint  Stephen  the  marrvr,  and  in  the  course 
ot   the  centurv  the\'   possessed  themselves  ot   numerous 
treasures  ot  tin-  same  kind. 

It  must  not  he  supposed,  however,  that  rhev  con- 
fined themselves  to  the  discovery  and  sei/ure  ot  such 
pious  plunder.  I  In-  end  thev  pursued  was  ot  a  more 
practical  nature,  ami  the  whole  result  ot  their  actmtv 
during  their  hrst  wars  in  the  I'.ast  is  found  in  the  estab- 
lishment of  flourishing  colonies  throughout  tin  Levant, 
and  in  the  L!.raduaL  hut  in  the  end  surprising;  suh]ection 
o|  the  l)\/antnu-  I'.mpire  to  their  commercial  interests. 
I  hev  made  enormous  sacrifices,  thev  shed  blood  like 
water  and  spent  monev  without  stint,  in  order  to 
(stab  ish  themsi-lves  as  the  masters  ot  tin-  Ionian 
ls!a  mK. 

1  hou;;h  rhe\    hardlv  fought  at   all   as  crusaders.  rhe\ 

di-n\eil    immense   aiKantages   from   the  I'oinpiesi    of    tin- 

11<>!\    Land.       In  the  kingdom  ot    Jerusalem 

rhev  acquired   the  n»ht   to  oun    a    strict,  ,i 

siiuare,   a   baker\",   and   a    public   bath   in   even    cit\  ;     in 

the  cities  of  Suloii  and    \cre,  the  ancient   Prolemais,  tlu\ 


v    YKNICK  AM)  THK  FIRST  CRUSADKS     105 

obtained  even  more  ample  privileges;  finally,  in  the  year 

112.;,  thev  had  made  themselves  masters  of 

.     •  .  ,  ,  .  ,  7/--?- 

one-third  of  the  city  of   I  yre,  while  leaving 

-.        .         •  Turks  at  Jaffa. 

the   other  two-thirds    in   the   possession   or     &inte  Pentuda  ; 

the    king.      Thev  immediately  established 

there    an    ambassador   to  represent   the    Republic,    with 

the  title  of  Bailo,  and  a  consul  to  protect  their  financial 

interests. 

1  he  taking  of  Fvre  was  largely  due  to  the  personal 
courage  and  firmness  of  the  Doge  Domenico  Michiel. 
I  nder  apparently  hopeless  conditions,  and 
when  his  troops  were  thoroughly  dis-  /•;,// 
couraged,  without  money  to  11  a  \'  their  wages  •/'"' 

1      -  cenni^ 

or  supplies  to  teed  them,  he  succeeded 
in  maintaining  his  influence  over  them,  and  ultimately 
led  them  to  victorv.  One  ot  the  most  extraordinary 
devices  to  which  he  had  recourse  in  the  absence  ot  com 
was  the  creation  ot  a  leather  currencv.  He  actually 
had  vast  quantities  ot  leather  cut  into  tokens  and 
stamped  with  a  sign  that  promised  redemption  it 
thcv  were  presented  to  the  treasury  in  \  emce  when 
the  expedition  reached  home;  and  these  tokens  circu- 
lated as  notes  do  nowadavs,  and  were  ultimately 
redeemed  in  gold.  It  is  to  this  circumstance  that  the 
arms  ot  the  Michiel  tamilv  make  allusion,  displaying 
one-and-twenty  pieces  ot  mone\'  upon  alternate  bends, 
a/ure  and  ardent. 

I  he  influence  which  the  \  enetians  ac(|inred  m  Con- 
stantinople during  the  first  half  of  the  rwelffh  century 
showed  itself  in  the  construction  ot  churches  and  con- 


i oh  GLKAMNCiS    KROM    HISTORY  \ 

\ents  in  the-  city  itself,  and  in  tin-  establishment  of  great 
commercial  storehouses  ami  markets,  win-re-  they  used 
their  own  \  enetian  weights,  measure-s,  and  mone\  ,  as  it 
the\'  \\'ere  in  \emce  itselt.  I  heir  wares  paid  no  duty 
on  enteruiL!;  the  (ireek  Lmpire;  the\  re- 

A\>»t.  n.  6t. 

(juired  the  Greeks  to  speak  of  tin-  Do^e 
umler  tin-  title  ot  I'rotospartos,  or  august  prince-,  ami  tin- 
patriarch  oi  \  e-nice-  was  designated  as  '  1  lypertimos,'  and 
ele-rivee!  considerable  fe-e-s  from  the-  1'. astern  capital,  while- 
the  basilica  ot  Saint  Mark  enjoyed  a  tribute  from  the 
Bv/antine  Lmpirc.  In  tact,  during  a  certain  length  ot 
time,  the  importance  ot  the  Republic  was  almost  as  great 

in    Constantinople   as  in  Venice  itself,  and 
KOHI.  ii.  ;,.'".  . 

\\'as    a    source-   ot    consulerahle    anxietv    to 

the     emperors.       1  he\"     did     their     best     to     oppose     the 

^ro\\ini:    po\\ei~    ot    the    \  enetians.    but    the    assistance' 

ot  the  latter  was  absolutely  necessary  to  them  in  order 

to    repulse-    the-   attacks  ot    the-  Normans  ot 

!t,".  '  '       '  I  II* 

/,..;..    ..     ,.;.,    Sicily,  who   e-ve-n   succeeded   in  penetrating 

into   the   suburbs    ot    Constantinople;    and 

tor    some-    time-    the    (ireeks    were    obliged 

to  bear  with  the-  official  pre-te-nsions  ot  the  Re-public,  as 

well    as   \\ith    tin-   insults   and    humiliations   suffered    by 

:he  (Jreek    soldiers   at  the    hands  ot    their  toie-iLMi  ;ilhe-s. 

I  mle-r  tin-   re-i<Mi   ot    tin-    hmperor    Manuel.    howe\'er, 

the  affairs  of  tin-  Re-public  in  the   I'.ast  suHi-n-d  a  sexere 

e'heck.      During    an    expedition,   of    which 

.     •  .'      V  -.  .  ' 

the  real  obji-ct  was  nothing  less  than  tin- 
conquest  < 'f  (  Ii'eece,  an  outbreak  ot  the  plague  brought 
termr  and  confusion  upon  the  \eiietian  fleet.  I  he 


v    VKNICK  AND  THE  FIRST  CRUSADES     107 

attacking    force    consisted    largely    of    volunteers,    who 
lost    heart    as    the    terrible    sickness    spread    amongst 


them.  A  mere  remnant  of  what  had  seemed  a  bril- 
liant army  reached  \  enice  \\  ith  the  remains  of  the 
fleet,  and  the  arrival  of  these  few  spread  mourning 


i    S 


during    the    expedition,    tin-    people    united    to    wreak 
their  vengeance  upon  him,  and  he  was  promptlv  assas- 
sinated.     Amongst   the   mam    families   whose   voim<u-st 
and    hravest    were    \ictnns   of    this    fruitless    expedition, 
none  was  more  ncarlv  exterminated  than  the  (  iiustmiani. 
One   hundred    men   of    their   name1   and    race   had   sailed 
awav  to  (Ireece;    not  one  came  hack.       1  he  Venetians 
felt    rhar    the    cm    itself    \\as    bereaved    hv 
their  loss.      ( )ne   man  of    marriageable  au.e 
alone  survived  in  \emce  to  stand  between  the  name  of 
,  ,          (iiustmiani  and  its   extinction,  and    he  was 
•   '      a  monk  in  the  monasti TV  of  .vamt  Nicholas. 
I  hither  the   people  proceeded   in   a   hodv,  thev  claimed 
him     from     tin-    order,    thev    brought     him 
home  to  his  ancestral  palace,  they  besought 
the    1'ope  to   free   him    from    his   vows.      Alexander    III. 
readily  acceded  to  a  request  so  unanimous;    at  tin   same 
rime,  as  li  to  provide  him  \\  it h  a  wife  whose  position  should 
be    sonieuhat   similar   to    his   own,    the    ponrifl    liberated 
also  from  her  nunnen  the  daughterof  tin-  former  Done, 
\  ital    Michie     II.       I  he    former    monk    and    the    former 
mm   were   united    in    bonds   of    matrimonv.   and   became 
the    parents    ol    no    less    than    tweKe    children,    njm     <!f 
\\  hom  \\  ei  •(•  si  ins.      \\  hen  the  ru  el  \  e  wen-  all  u.ro\\  n   up, 
(  1 1 1 1  s  1 1  m ;  i  m    founded    in    the    island    of     \miano    a    c  o  n  - 
vent,  t('  u  Inch   his  \\  ife  and  their  three  daughters  retired 
\\lnle  he  returned  to  his  monastery'  of  Saint   Nicln 
the    I   ido. 


v     VKXICK  AM)  THL   FIRST  CRTSADLS     109 

The-  immediate  result  of  the  disastrous  expedition  to 
Greece  seems  to  have  been  that  \eniee  momentarily 
lost  her  hold  upon  the  Levant,  and  was  obliged  to 
retire  from  the  strong  commercial  position  she  had 
acquired  in  Constantinople;  but  an  alliance  with 
\\illiam,  the  king  of  Sicih  and  the  son  ot  Roger,  soon 

turned  the  scale  in  favour  of  the  Republic. 
,  .       . .  .  , ,  •  -    i     Kc»i.  a.  //-">''• 

1  he  Lmperor  Manuel  Lomnenos,  ternhed 

at  the  thought  of  a  coalition  between  Sicilv  and  \  enice, 
paid  the  latter  a  large  sum  of  money  by  wavof  indemnity. 
Such,  on  the  whole,  were  the  principal  events  in  the 
foreign  history  of  \  enice,  which  were  more  or  less  con- 
nected with  the  1' irst  Crusade  and  its  consequences. 
But  it  must  not  be  supposed  that  while  \  enice  was 
doing  everything  in  her  power  to  extend  her  commerce 
and  influence  in  eastern  Lurope  and  in  .Asia,  she  was 
neglectmgto  improve  heropportumties  in  Italv.  As  early 
as  i  101  rhe\  enetians  had  installed  themselves  as  masters 
in  the  city  of  Kerrara,  which  they  had  helped  the  great 
Countess  Matilda  to  recover  from  her  imperial  enemv. 
At  the  same  time  the-  Republic  required  all  its  pro- 
digious energy  to  maintain  its  hold  upon  Dalmatia, 
the  possession  ot  which  was  contested  bv  the  king  of 
Hungary.  One  of  the-  numerous  expeditions  to  the 
Dalmatian  coasts  cost  the  life  ot  the  Doge  Ordelato 
I'aher;  this  was  in  I  I  in,  and  nftv  vears  elapsed  before' 
the  Republic  recovered  possession  of  all  the  fortresses 
on  that  coast.  Stephen  111.  of  Hungary  now  thought 
onlv  of  winning  the  good  graces  ot 
rivals,  and  married  two  princesses  of  hi 


no  GLEANINGS    FROM    HISTORY  v 

one  to  Niccolo,   a  son  ot   tin-   DO<H-   Miclnel,  who  had 

been  created  Count  of  the  island  of  Arbo  in 

Dalmatia,   aiul   tlu-    other  to   the  Count   of 

Osscro.     Venice   had   become  a    European   power,   and 

foreign  sovereigns  sought  alliance  with  her  In'  marriage. 

Much   interest   attaches  to  the   relations   between   the 

I)oo;es,    the    Emperors,    and    the    Popes    in    the    twelfth 

centurv,  more  especially  as  the-  long  (juarrel  eiuled  in  the 

institution    of    the    memorable    feast    ot    tin-    Ascension, 

which   was   kept   in   \  emce  to  the   verv  last  \"ear  ot   the 

Republic. 

1  he  Emperor  Conrad  died  in  the  vear  i  \  ^i,  leaving 
an  onlv  son  who  \\'as  a  mere  bov.  1  he  electors  ol  the 
Empire,  ludging  that  the  tunes  required  a  stroni^  hand 
and  a  sovereign  \\  ho  should  not  be  imdc-r  the-  control 
of  anv  I'e^encx ,  elected  the  late  Emperor's  nephew, 
}•  redenck  of  Hohenstauten,  surnamed  IJarbarossa. 
Brave,  ambitious,  and  enei'm-tic,  1*  redenck  s  object 
from  the  first  was  to  bring  all  Italv  under  the  direct 
rule  of  tlu-  Empire.  Bv  a  piece  of  good  fortune  which 
rarelv  befell  an\  of  the  Emperors,  he  found  himself 
supported  In  the  Pope,  who,  according  to  the  ami- 
able traditions  of  those  times,  should  have  been  his 
natural  enemv.  Nicholas  Brakespeare,  the  I'.iujishman 
\\'ho  reigned  under  the  name  of  Pope  I  ladnan  I\  .,  was 
at  that  rime  in  considerable  an\nt\  o\\mg  to  the  pi'o- 
!j;ress  made  in  Rome  In  rlu  revolutionan  teai'lim^s  of 
Arnold  of  Brescia,  and  \ie\\ed  with  satisfaction  rhe 
I'.mperor's  inteiirioii  of  descendiiiL:  into  Irak  at  tin- 
head  ot  an  imposing  arm\.  I* or  such  an  expedition 


v      THK   POPE,    EMPEROR,   AND    DOGE     in 

a  pretext  was  soon  found.  Frederick  convoked  a 
general  diet  of  the  Empire  at  Roncaglia,  not  tar  from 
Piacenza,  which  had  generally  heen  the  official  residence 
of  his  predecessors  when  thev  visited  the  peninsula. 

I  he  Venetian  Republic  does  not  appear  to  have 
heen  at  all  alarmed  by  what  was  known  ot  the  Emperor's 
intentions,  and  sent  three  patricians  to  represent  her  at 
the  diet.  1  he  Emperor  was  indeed  chiefly  opposed 
hv  tin  Lombards,  who  entirely  refused  to  acknowledge 

C5 

the  claims  he  now  made,  and  he  was  accordingly  ohhged 
more  than  once  to  resort  to  arms  to  enforce  them,  even 
after  his  coronation  in  Rome. 

A  dangerous  epidemic  which  broke  out  in  Italy 
obliged  him  to  return  to  Germany  for  a  short  time,  but 
he  soon  came  back  and  convoked  a  second  diet  at  Ron- 
caglia, the  prime  object  of  which  was  to  define  exactlv 
what  the  situation  ot  the  Italian  states  ought  to  be  with 
regard  to  the  Empire.  The  diet  fully  supported  the 
Emperor  in  the  claims  he  made  upon  Lombardy,  and 
that  province,  having  been  placed  under  the  ban  of 
the  Imperial  Diet,  broke-  out  in  open  revolt.  In  the 
war  which  followed  immediately  a  number  of  the  Lom- 
bard cities  were  besieged,  including  Milan 
and  Crema.  \\hen  the  latter  place  was 
starved  to  a  surrender,  and  was  obliged  to  open  its  gates 
to  the  Germans,  it  is  recorded  that  the  whole  population 
emigrated  in  a  hodv,  preferring  exile-  to  submission. 

At  this  time  I  ladrian  1\  .,  1'  redenck's  friend  and  allv, 
died,  and  the  conclave  elected  as  his  successor  Cardinal 
Bandmelli,  who  assumed  the  name  of  Alexander  III., 


ii2  <;i.K\MN<;S    FROM    HISTORY  v 

;IIH!  became  one-  ot  the-  Kmperor's  bitterest  enemies. 
K\e-n  he-tore-  his  election  this  Pope-  had  lu-e-n  \\ell 
known  tor  his  strong  ( luelph  sympathies,  ;itul  his 
e-le-ction  was  a  source-  ot  profound  displeasure  to  the 
Kmpcror.  I  In-  latter  could  not  easilv  accomplish  his 
purpose  in  Italv  during  the  re-i<m  ot  a  Pope-  whose 
patriotic  ob|cct  it  was  to  liberate-  his  countrv  troni  all 
foreign  influence.  I'ollowmg  the  astonishing  custom 
which  prevailed  in  those  times,  Harharossa  immediately 
proclaimed  a  Pope  ot  his  own,  known  to  us  as  the 
Antipope  \  ictor  I\  .,  \\lio  united  the-  suffrages  and 
i-nio\'ed  the-  support  ot  that  \t-r\'  numerous  part\'  \\hich 
desired  to  see  the-  (  iermamc  influence  ot  the  I'.mpire 
prevalent  south  ot  tin-  Alps. 

I  here  was  there-tore  throughout   Italv  a  condition  ot 
schism  in  which  the   Pope-  and  tin-  patriotic  partv  were 
opposed    to    the    Antipope    and    tin-    Imperialists.       I  he 

\  ein-tians  \\ith  their  patriarch  did  not  hesi- 

•   .... 

tate  to  e-spouse  the  cause- ot  Alexander  111. 
At  that  time-  the-  patriarch  was  still  the-  Bishop  ot 
(  Irado,  and  as  it  chanced  that  he-  was  at  odds  with  the 

\rchhishopot  \i| mleia  a hout certain  (| ue-stions  e'onm  v'U  d 
\\ith  the-  Dalmatian  bishoprics  since-  that  pro\iiu\  had 
passed  into  the-  hands  ot  the-  \enetians.  Aquileia  \er\' 
naturall\  ]onu-el  tin  Impe-nal  stamlard,  and  proceeded  to 
sack  tlu-  diocese  ot  the  n\al  bishop.  I  In  l)''nr  mter- 
tere-d  in  person,  and  \\ith  the  help  ot  a  leu  laifhtul 
troops  succeeded  in  captunnLl  the  hot-he-ade-d  l)ishop 
ol  \(iuileia.  a  do/e-n  ot  his  canons,  and  a  number  of 

I' nulese  coiintrx    ^eiitlt-nu  n  \\lio  had   (oineel  tin-  ijiiarrcl 


v     THE    POPE,    EMPEROR,   AM)    DOGE      113 

in  the  hope  of  plunder.  'I  hese  prisoners  were  all 
brought  to  \  enice,  hut  were  set  at  liberty  when  the 
bishop  and  his  canons  had  signed  a  treatv  or  perpetual 
agreement,  whereby  thev  hound  themselves  and  their 
successors  tor  ever  to  pav  a  yearlv  tribute  consisting  of 
twelve  loaves  of  white  bread  and  twelve  tat  pigs.  J  he 
Republic  judged  that  the  memorv  ot  this  victorv  ot  the 
rightful  Pope's  partv  over  his  adversaries  should  be  pre- 
served,  and  as  a  means  ot  doing  so  decreed  that  the 
aforesaid  fattened  swine  should  be  handed  over  to  the 
populace  on  the  1  hursdav  betore  Eent,  to  be  hunted 
to  death  in  the  pia//,a  ot  Saint  Mark.  1  his  carnival 
diversion  was  so  highlv  appreciated  bv  the  people  that 
when  in  the  year  1420  the  Pope  abolished  the  two 
patriarchatesof  Grado  and  Aquileia,  and  created  instead 
the  patriarchate  of  \  enice,  the  government  was  obliged 
to  provide  the  pigs  at  its  own  expense. 

It  is  onlv  fair  to  sav  here  that  the  patriarch  ot  Aquileia 
made  act  ot  submission  to  Pope  Alexander  III.  himself. 

Meanwhile,  in  the  year  1102,  that  Pope  was  forced 
to  take  refuge  in  I' ranee  to  escape'  from  the  dangers 
that  beset  him  in  Rome;  and  the  bishops  and  cardinals 
who  were  faithful  to  him,  and  who  now  found  them- 
selves fugitives,  received  a  hospitable  welcome  with 
promises  ot  protection  in  \emce.  It  was  but  natural 
that  this  should  irritate  the  Emperor,  and  foreseeing 
that  there  was  to  be  trouble-  the  Republic  hastened  to 
conclude  alliances  with  the  Greek  Emperor  and  the 
king  ot  Naples,  whose  interest  it  was  to  check  the 
growth  ot  German  influence  in  Italv. 

o 

VOL.  i.  —  i 


n4  GLEANINGS   FROM   HISTORY 

On  his  side  Barbarossa  assured  himself  of  the  sup- 
port ot  Genoa,  and  returned  to  Germanv  to  laise  fresh 
troops,  while  Alexander  III.  rook  advantage  of  Ins 
enemy's  absence  to  come  back  to  Rome.  It  was  in  the 
midst  of  these  partv  struggles  that  the  Lombard  League 
first  took  shape  and  began  to  grow;  in  I  10-  a  congress 

was    held    at    which   were   present   deputies 
AW.  a.s/.       .  .  .          .    ,      .         '  ' 

from  the  cities  ot  \  enice,  \  erona,  \  icen/.a, 

Patlua,  1  reviso,  Ferrara,  Brescia,  Bergamo,  Mantua, 
Cremona,  Milan,  Loth,  Parma,  Modena,  Bologna, 
Novara,  \  ercelh,  Reggio,  Asti  and  1  ortona.  1  he 
representatives  ot  these  powerful  towns  met  together 
and  swore  a  solemn  oath  m  a  great  fortress  which 
thev  hatl  built  tor  the  common  defence,  and  around 
which  a  citv  had  alreadv  sprung  up.  I  he  citv  and 
fortress  \\ere  named  Alessandria,  in  honour  of  Pope 
Alexander  III.,  who  was  the  soul  of  the  patriotic  Ital- 
ian 'Concordia.'  It  is  worth  noting  that  the  citv 
of  Piacen/a,  which  up  to  tins  time  hatl  been  con- 
sidered the  central  focus  ot  Germanic  influence  in 
Italv,  sent  representatives  to  the  congress  of  Alessan- 
dria, and  afterwards  took  an  active  part  in  the  alliance 
which  was  formed  there. 

1  he  Lmperor  spared  no  effort  to  obtain  possession 
of  the  stronghold  of  the  League;  but  while  the  garrison 
opposed  the  most  determined  resistance  from  within,  the 
cities  of  the  League  harassed  the  Germans  from  without. 
and  forced  them  to  raise  the  sie*u-  within  tour  months. 
Not  verv  much  later,  though  too  late,  the  Imperial 
armv  receixcd  considerable  reinforcements;  but  dunn» 


THK    POPE,   EMPEROR,   AND    DOGE      115 

that  time  the  army  of  the  League  had  been  able  to  make 

every  preparation  tor  a  decisive  battle.     The 

armies  met  at  Legnano  on    Mav  u;,  1176, 

and   the  encounter   resulted   in   a   disastrous   deteat   tor 

Frederick.      He  himselt  was  thrown  from  his  horse,  the 


great  standard  ot  the  Empire  was  captured,  and  the 
Imperialists  were  driven  to  ignominious  Might.  1  he 
\  enetians  had  no  troops  in  this  battle,  which  was  fought 
at  a  considerable  distance  from  their  territory,  but 
they  had  contributed  large  sums  ot  money  as  well  as 
munitions  ot  war  to  the  cause. 

During   the    six    years    which    had    preceded    this    de- 


n6  (il.KAMXCS    FROM    HISTORY  v 

cisive  battle-,  Alexander  III.  had  led  a  life-  of  hardship 
and  danger.  Beset  and  pursued  In  his  enemies,  he 
wandered  and  sometimes  Bed  from  Benevento  to  \  eroh, 
ami  thence  to  Anagni,  feeling  himself  safer  am  \\here 
than  in  Rome,  where  parrv  feeling  ran  hiidi  and  took 
the  side  of  Frederick.  But  the  hitter's  signal  defeat 
at  Legnano  convinced  Barbarossa  at  last  that  his 
true  interest  lav  in  making  peace  with  tin-  so\  c-ri-i  12,11 
pontiff,  in  spite  of  the  great  difficult}'  which  must  attend 
anv  negotiations  towards  such  an  end;  for  Frederick 
dreamt  of  nothing  less  than  reconciling  himself  with 
Alexander  III.  without  abandoning  the  Ann  pope  \\  horn 
he-  had  set  up  in  opposition.  I  he  first  point  agreed 
upon  was  that  a  meet  11112;  should  take  place  in  some-  cit\ 
of  northern  Italv,  and  that  the  Pope-  should  attend  it  in 
person. 

As  a  preliminary  step  the-  Pope-  proceeded  to  \  enice, 

bem<2,   conveyed    thither   hv   the    gallevs   of    tin-    king  of 

Sicilv,  and  visiting  on  his  wa\   the  principal 

cities    of    Dalmatia.      lie    was    received    in 

\enice  with  the  most  profound  respect  and 

'/'••.•  i  •  ,-i 

\\itii     demonstrations    of    the    i2.rcatest     |oc 

In    the    i)oue,    the    cler<2,v,   and    tin-    people. 

During    his    stav    in    the    citv    then-    was    a 

•/'•••  i-  i 

//.•  ,    ..   constant    exchange    of     messages    between 

him  and  the  Fmperor  regarding  the  citv 
to  be  chosen  for  a  congress  to  discuss  the  peace-.  I  hen 
the  I'ope  himself  was  obliged  to  tra\el  to  I'errara, 
a  town  \\hich  the  eities  of  the  bea<Mie  \\otild  have 
preferred,  though  it  was  too  small  to  lodge  tin-  iM'eat 


THE    P1AZZETTA 


v     THE    POPE,    KMPKROR,    AND    DOGE       117 

number  of  persons  who  would  have  to  be  present.  1  he 
I)ope  returned  to  \  enice  after  discussing  the  question 
with  the  envoys  of  Milan,  and  called  together  the 
ambassadors  of  the  Empire,  the  legates  of  Sicilv,  and 
the  principal  Lombard  chiefs.  All  these  personages 
presented  themselves  in  answer  to  the  pontifical  sum- 
mons, and  proceeded  to  discuss  the  situation  at  great 
length.  I  he  result  of  the  congress  was  that  the  Emperor 
agreed  to  recognise'  the  legitimate  election  of  Alexander 
111.,  to  renounce  his  own  Antipope,  to  sign  a  truce  of 
six  vears  with  the  Lombard  League,  and  of  fifteen  years 
with  the  king  of  Sicily. 

These  preliminaries  having  been  properlv  and 
minutely  established,  the  Emperor  was  united  to  meet 
the  Pope  in  Venice.  It  was  his  Canossa.  He  arrived 
in  Chioggia  in  1177,  and  was  met  at  the  entrance  of 
the  lagoons  bv  a  deputation  of  bishops,  who  exhorted 
him  to  abjure  his  schism  before  entering  upon  Venetian 
territory.  Barbarossa  complied  with  good  grace  and 
was  forthwith  freed  from  the  ban  of  excommunication. 
( )n  the  following  dav  he  proceeded  to  the  capital.  1  he 
Doge,  the  patriarch  of  Grado,  and  all  the  bishops  of 
the  \  enetian  state-  went  out  to  meet  him  in  their  barges. 
The  whole  company  landed  at  the-  Pia/./.etta  amidst  the 
acclamations  of  the  crowd,  and  the  Emperor  was  at  once 
conducted  to  the  Basilica.  Here  the  Pope,  in  full  ponti- 
ficals, awaited  him  under  the  porch,  surrounded  bv  his 
cardinals  and  numerous  lepresentatives  of  the  \  enetian 
clergy.  \\  hen  he-  saw  before  him  the  august  pontiff 
whom  he  had  so  long  and  so  cruelly  persecuted,  the 


us        (;!.!•: \M\(;S  FROM  HISTORY          \ 

KmjKTor  seems  to  have-  felt  a  sudden  impulse  of 
penitence,  tor  lie  threw  himself  upon  his 
knees  and  bowed  down  to  kiss  the  Pope's 
teet ;  hut  Alexander  would  nor  allow  him 
to  go  so  tar,  and  raising  him  to  his  teet  he- 
stowed  upon  him  the  kiss  ot  peace.  Side 
b\  side  the  temporal  and  the  spiritual  sovereigns  ot 
the  world  went  up  the  ancient  aisle  together  to  the  steps 
ot  the  high  altar,  and  with  the  clergv  and  people  in- 
toned the  '  1  e  Deiim  Laudamus.' 

On  the  first  ot  August  ot  that  vear  the-  truce  with 
the  Lombard  League  was  signed,  and  at  the  same-  lime 
the  \  enetians  obtained  tor  themselves  certain  especial 
promises  from  the  Kmperor,  one  of  which  was  that  no 
imperial  ships  should  navigate  the  waters  ot  the  Adri- 
atic (  iiilt,  which  \  emce  now  looked  upon  as  her  exclu- 
sive propem,  without  the  consent  ot  the  Republic.  On 
his  side  the  Pope  accorded  numerous  privileges  to  the 
citv  which  had  LMven  him  such  abundant  proof  of  its 
fidelity. 

A  great  part  of  the  importance'  which  was  attached 
to  the  lime's  annual  visit  to  the  Lido  on  Ascension 
Dav  had  its  origin  in  the  tact  that  Alexander  111.  was 
present  in  \  emce  at  that  feast.  It  is  true  that  the 
custom  ot  the  \isit  dated  from  the  davs  of  Pietro 
Orseol<>  II.,  but  the  ceremotiv  ot  esp<  .using  the  sea 
was  first  performed  in  1177.  when  the  Pope,  on  pre- 
senting the  Done  Sebastian  /lam  with  a  magnificent 
rniLi.  accompanied  the  uitt  with  the  words:  '  1  ake  this 
as  a  token  of  the  so\  eivitmtv  which  vou  and  vour 


THK    POPE,    EMPEROR,    AND    DOGE     119 

successors    shall    exercise    over   this    sea    for   ever.'      In 
memory  of  this  speech  the  Doge  afterwards  dropped  a 


golden     wedding-ring    into    the    sea    even'    vear    with 
imposing  ceremonies. 

1  hese   are   the   simple   facts    upon    which    is    founded 


12  (JLKAMXGS    FROM    HIS TORY  v 

rhe   ama/mg   legend   of    Alexander's   ;irnv;il    in    \  e-nice-. 
I  racked   and   pursued,  the  store   savs.   In    his   imperial 

enemies,  rhe  tugirne-  Pope-  reached  \e-mcc  in  disguise- 
and  ar  night.  Atrer  wandering  tor  hours  through  the 
dark  and  winding  wavs  ot  rhe  citv,  he  sank  do\\  n  ar 
last  upon  rhe  steps  ot  a  church,  worn  our  with  fatigue- 
and  slce-p,  to  wait  tor  the  dav.  .At  dawn  In-  rook  up 
his  statf  as^aiii,  ami  on  seeing  a  building  \\lnch  was 
evidently  a  monaste-rv,  he  knocked  ar  rlu-  door  and 
asked  tor  shelter.  1  he  house-  was  that  ot"  Santa  Maria 
della  Carita.  lie-  \\as  admitted,  and,  according  to  .it 
least  one-  chronicler,  was  installed  in  rhe  kitchen  as  a 
scullion.  In  this  humhle  office  he  h\ed  uncomplaining 
tor  six  months,  until  a  I' rench  traveller,  who  had  often 
seen  him  in  I*  ranee,  recognised  him,  and  hastened  to 
inform  rlu-  DOLH-  ot  Ins  presence.  I  he  emotion  created 
bv  the  intelligence  mav  e-asdv  be  imagined.  I  he  ducal 
palace-  ami  the-  whole  cirv  were  in  a  ti-rment 
ot  cxcirenieiir,  and  a  \asr  [iroix  ssion  pro- 
ci-edeil  at  once  to  fetch  tin-  sovereign 
.  pontiff  from  tin-  convent  kitchen  ami 
conduct  him  ro  rhe  palace  of  the  patriarch 
of  (  Irado.  SrrotiLi  m  rhe  supporr  of  rhe  \enetians,  the 
1'iipe  no\\  sent  ambassadors  to  Frederick  iv<pnnn!2  him 
to  re-store  pi-ace-  to  Church  and  State.  I  he  bmperor, 
according  to  r!u-  stor\  ,  sent  an  ai To'jam  reph  ,  and  s \\ore 
that  he  u'ouhl  plant  his  \ictorioiis  standard  beton  the 
vt  r\  door  of  Saint  Mark's.  I  he  natural  result  of  such 
a  relv  could  diil\  be  a  \\  a r,  and  the  legend  did  not  fail 


THE    POPE,    KMPKROR,    AM)    DOGE      121 

galleys  from  the  Empire,  from  Genoa,  and  from  Pisa, 
entered  the  Adriatic  under  the  command  of  the  young 
Otho,  the  Emperor's  son,  a  hoy  of  eighteen  years, 
endowed  with  superhuman  strength,  courage,  and 
experience.  Against  this  powerful  fleet  //,.,.„„,/,.,,.  /// 
the  \  enetians  could  only  send  a  force  of  /*'"' 

,    .  ,    .  n  .     ,  ....  ii'if/it/i,'  .w.W, 

thirty  ships.      L>ut  right  was  on  their  side,     /•>-,,„, -,•>,-,>//,/,- 

and  especially  the  right  of  legend  to  give 

the  victory  to   its  favourites.       The   Doge   knelt  hefore 

the  Pope,  the   Pope  blessed  him,  presented  him  with  a 

golden  sword  and  promised  him  the  victory. 

On  Ascension  Day  a  great  and  bloody  sea- 

fiLrht  was  fought  off  Salvore,  not  far  from 

~  r  _  same  Hall. 

Paren/o,  and  the  Venetians  utterly  dis- 
comfited their  enemies,  taking  from  them  forty-eight 
galleys  and  a  vast  number  of  prisoners,  including  the 
Prince  Otho  himself.  Like  all  legendary 
people,  these  legendary  \  enetians  were  noble 
and  generous  beyond  words,  and  at  once 
sent  the  Prince  back  to  his  father  with 
twelve  ambassadors.  I  ouched  bv  so  much 
kindness,  the-  Emperor  requested  a  safe- 
conduct  for  himself  to  visit  \  enice,  and  having  arrived 
there  he  was  kept  waiting  an  unconscionable  time  while 
the-  terms  of  a  treaty  of  peace  were  drawn  up.  \\  hen 
he-  was  at  last  admitted  to  the-  presence  of  .Alexander  111. 
Frederick  was  made  to  lav  aside  all  the  insignia  of 
royalty,  and  was  forced  to  he  down  flat  upon  his  face 
while  the-  Pope  placed  one  foot  upon  the  back  of  his 
neck  and  recited  from  Psalm  xci.  \erse  1  .  '  1  he  oun 


122  GLEANINGS    FROM    HISTORY  v 

lion  and  rluj  dragon  shalr  rhou  trample  underfoot.' 
Frederick  answered,  'I  how  nor  before  thee,  hur  before 
Peter.'  '  Both  hetore  Peter  and  before  me,'  insisted 
the  Pope-. 

I  he  historian  Romanm  is  justified  in  declaring  that 
it  \\'onld  he  hard  to  accumulate  a  greater  numher  ot 
absurdities  in  a  single  talc-,  and  the  most  elementary 
historical  criticism  has  sufficed  to  destrov  all  such  tables. 


I  hev  are.  indeed,  so  manifestly  iniaL!,!nar\  that  the  so- 
called  (H'oots  ot  tin-  dramatic  events  thev  descnbi-  lia\i- 
been  allowed  to  remain  untouched,  and  thev  exist  to 
the  present  dav.  1  hev  consist  ot  an  inscription  cut  in 
marble,  \\hirh  recalls  to  tin-  inhabitants  of  Salvore  the 
\ictor\  ot  the  Doge  Sebastian  /.lam,  over  flu-  fleet  ot 
Otho  of  1  lohenstauten  ;  ot  an  inscription  on  tin  outside 
of  the  church  of  Sant'  .\polhnare  mtormniLi  the  public 
that  Pope  Alexander  111.  passed  a  bad  m«Jit  on  the 


v     THE   POPE,    EMPEROR,   AND   DOGE      123 

steps  of  that  church;  and  of  similar  inscriptions  upon 
the  churches  of  Santo  Sofia,  San  Salvatore,  San  Gia- 
como,  and  some  other  churches,  which  dispute  with 
Sant'  Apollinare  the  honour  of  having  ottered  the 
pontiff  the  hospitality  of  the  doorstep. 


YKMCK    AM)   C()NST.VNTIN<  H'l.K 

I  MI  most  conflicting  judgments  ha\e  been  formed 
upon  the  aetmn  <>t  the  Venetian  Republic  at  the  de- 
cisive moments  o|  her  career,  as  well  as  upon  the  true 
sourcc-s  ot  her  wealth  and  importance.  One  writer, 
to]  instance.  gravelv  tells  us  that  Venice,  like  I. upland. 
grev\  neh  hv  UMM\  and  the  slave  trade;  another,  whose 
l^ood  faith  lannot  he  doubted,  assures  ;he  world  that 
the  two  LM'eat  mistakes  wliii'li  led  to  the  final  ilowntall 

I  .'  ! 


vi        YKMCK   AND   CONSTANTINOPLE        125 

of  the-  Republic  were-  the  '  Serrata  del  Gran  Consiglio/ 
which  excluded  the  people  from  the  government,  and 
the  unjustifiable  sack  and  sei/ure  of  Constantinople. 
It  would  he  hard  indeed  to  produce  anv  satisfactory 
proof  of  the  former  statement;  tor  though  the  \ene- 
tians  undoubtedly  supplied  themselves  and  one-  part 
of  Italv  with  white  slaves  from  the  hast,  and  although 
the  Republic  at  times  lent  monev  at  interest  to  poorer 
governments  in  distress,  vet  I  do  not  think  that  these 
sources  of  income  were  ever  to  he  compared  with  that 
derived  from  a  great  and  legitimate  commerce,  and 
from  less  justifiable  but  not  less  lucrative  conquest. 
As  for  the  second  statement,  it  is  enough  to  consider 
the  length  of  time  which  elapsed  between  the  taking  of 
Constantinople  and  the  closure  of  the  (ireat  Council 
about  a  hundred  vears  later,  sav  in  r  ^oo,  on  the  one 
hand,  and  the  final  destruction  of  \  enetian  independence 
in  17^7  on  the  other.  \\hen,  in  historv,  an  effect  is 
separated  from  its  supposed  cause  bv  an  interval  of 
ti\e  hundred  vears  or  more,  1  do  not  hesitate'  to  assert 
that  the  connection  is  a  little  more  than  doubtful.  As 
for  the-  exclusion  of  the  people  from  the  internment 
having  been  a  source  of  danger  to  the-  Republic,  it  is 
interesting  to  note  that  almost  in  the  same-  vear  the 
Republic  of  Florence  adopted  precisely  the  opposite 
course,  that  it  led  directlv  to  internal  discord  and  the 
wars  of  the  Blacks  and  \\hites.  and  that  in  less  than 
two  hundred  vears  the  citv  which  had  adopted  the 
democratic  view  was  under  the  dominion  of  tvrants 
—  a  striking  instance  of  the  truth  of  some  of  the  most 


i2o          GLEANINGS    FROM    IIISTORY  vi 

important    conclusions    re-ached    In'    Plato    in    the    7<V- 
piihtic. 

In  the  x'ear  IK;S  Pope  Innocent  III.  called  upon 
v.  hristcndom  to  undertake  a  fourth  crusade-,  and  the 
voice  ot  Fulk  ot  Xemllv  preached  the  dchverx"  ot  the 
Holx  Sepulchre,  and  roused  to  arms  the  most  \aliant 
barons  and  gentlemen  ot  b  ranee. 

It  was  not  till  12OI  that  the  new  armv  ot  crusaders 
was  sufficiently  organised  to  consider  the  means  ot 
reaching  Palestine,  and  they  then  decided  that  thev 
must  make  the  ]ournev  hv  sea.  Accordingly  thev  sent 
an  embassy  to  Venice,  the  onlv  maritime  po\\er  then 
able  to  furnish  the-  ships  and  transports  required. 

Fnrico  Danclolo,  the  Do^e,  entertained  their  request, 
and,  speaking  in  the  name  ot  the  Republic,  offered  to 
convex"  to  Palestine  tour  thousand  hve  hundred  horses 
and  nine  thousand  squires  and  grooms  on  lar^e  trans- 
ports, and  to  take-  tour  thousand  rive  hundred  knights 
and  twentx"  thousand  men-at-arms  on  other  vessels, 
and  to  furnish  provisions  tor  men  and  horses  tor  nine 
months;  and,  turther,  to  send  rittv  armed  ^allevs  to 
convov  the-  transports  to  'the  shores  whither  Chris- 
tianity and  the  service  ot  ( iod  called  them.' 

1'or  this  transportation  the  Republic  required  the 
pavment  ot  H^,ooo  marks  ot  silver  before  tlu-  armv 
embarked,  and  the  promise  of  an  equal  division  of  all 
conquests  and  of  ;ill  spoil,  \enice  to  receive  one-half 
of  everx'thmg. 

Io  these  terms  the  ambassadors  agreed,  and  thex 
obtained  from  the  Pope  a  solemn  approval  of  the 


vi        VENICE  AND   CONSTANTINOPLE       127 

agreement,  which  the  Republic  fulfilled  with  great 
exactness,  but  which  manv  of  the  crusaders  violated 
in  a  manner  tar  from  honourable;  for  a  large  num- 
ber, deeming  that  thev  could  make  the  lournev  more 
cheaply  <>n  their  own  account,  embarked  from  other 
European  ports  without  anv  regard  to  the  engagements 
made  in  their  names  bv  the  ambassadors  they  them- 
selves had  chosen. 

1  he  consequence  was  that  at  the  time  agreed  upon 
for  meeting  in  \  enice,  the  crusaders  found  their 
numbers  much  interior  to  those  provided  tor  in  the 
contract;  and,  as  was  natural,  those  who  presented 
themselves  were  not  able  to  produce  the  sum  of  money 
agreed  upon  tor  the  whole  number. 

But,  according  to  the  agreement  signed,  if  the  whole 
sum  was  not  paid  before  embarking,  whatever  was  paid 
in  was  forfeited  to  the  Republic,  which  had  been  put  to 
great  expense  and  trouble  in  fitting  out  so  large  a  Meet. 

In  this  extremitv  Enrico  Dandolo  pointed  out  to  his 
countrymen  that  \  enice  should  plav  a  generous  part, 
rather  than  exact  the  letter  of  the  contract;  that  a 
compromise  should  be  made  on  some  sound  basis;  and 
that  the  most  obvious  wav  of  settling  the  matter  was  to 
ask  of  the  crusaders  some  service,  during  the  vovage 
to  Palestine,  which  should  be  accepted  instead  of  the 
balance  of  the  monev  still  unpaid,  amounting  to  no  less 
than  ^0,000  marks  of  silver  (about  ,{,60,000  sterling). 
To  this  proposal  the  crusaders  agreed,  though  not 
without  considerable  opposition  on  the  part  of  some'  of 
their  number. 


I2S  (IFFAMNCS    FROM    HISTORY  vi 

Fit  it  he  observed  here,  in  defence  of  what  the 
\  eintians  afterwards  did,  that  rhev  were  connected  \\  irh 
rhe  Fourth  Crusade  in  two  totallv  distinct  characters. 

In  rhe  first  place,  thev  themselves  took  the  cross  in  great 
numbers,  and  were  then-tore  crusaders  in  tin-  true  sense; 
secondlv,  thev  were  a  companv  tor  the  transportation  ot 
a  iM'eat  number  ot  other  crusaders  at  stated  rates,  under 
a  miarantee.  Moreover,  thcv  did  not,  as  some  have 
supposed,  include  their  o\\  n  forces  amongst  those  for 
whom  rhe  l-  rench  were  to  pav. 

According  to  Sismondi,  the  estimate  thev  made  tor 
the  transportation  of  the  1'  rench  was  as  follows: 

For  4, 5""  horses,  at  4  marks  ot  si!\er  eaeh    .  iS,  \~  2  marks 

lt     4,5:.:;   knights,  at   2   marks  ot  silver  eaeh  0,0;  tlk 

"     9,CC  0  squires  anil  grooms,  at    2    marks  ot 

sil\  el'  eaeh  .  .  .  .  I  S,CC          u 

u   2C,OC        men-at-arms,  at    2  marks  ot 

silver  eaeh  ....  4~V '  " 

For  4,5~C    hor>es    and     4^,5"       men,  total       ^5-,"    "   marks 
K(|uai  to  aliout       .  .  .  .,{.!",      o  sterling. 

I  his  represented  what  ma\'  be  called  the  business 
side  of  tlu-  transaction.  As  crusaders,  the  \enetians 
\\lio  accompanied  the  expedition  appeared  not  as  busi- 
ness men  but  as  allies,  and  proxuled  tor  themselves  in 
everv  wa\' ;  and  it  \\as  as  allies  that  the\  claimed  an 
eojual  share  of  eon<|iiest  and  spoil. 

I  he  weakness  of  the  Pope  s  subsecpient  position  la\  m 
the  tart  that  while  he  could,  and  did,  excommunicate 
tin  crusaders  tor  LLOIIIL:  our  ot  their  wav,  he  could  not 


vi         VKMCK   AM)   CONSTANTINOPLE      129 

possibly  have  excommunicated  them  it  the  \  enenans,  as 


'/?  ^s*.- , 

*  £>>         '  -' 


\  m 


i  -rfff      "f**  *    *J-     tr*^~~^*-~     '  '  ^  J          Ml 

*-«S^^*W^^SjS^i^j  I 

&Bii^l-&n&WML-l$ 


*-.?•<& 

^•£>  E'"J 

r^.vr  ""^'',1? 


business   men,  had   insisted  on  the  performance  of   the 
contract  and  had  refused  to  start  at  all. 

In   invino;  a  bric'f  account  oi   the  taking  ol  Constanti- 


i  ,;o  (il.hAMNCS    FROM    HISTORY  vi 

nople,  I  shall  not  offer  ;my  criticism  ot  ;i  deed  which 
has  been  iH-ncrallv  condemned,  ami  which  it  is  cerfamlv 
not  easy  to  excuse,  hur  1  shall  present  ir  \cr\  mark  as 
ir  appeared  r<>  Romanm,  hiniseli  a  \  cm-nan,  ami  one  of 
the  L'.i'eatest  ami  most  |iisr  of  the  \enetian  historians. 

Ir  was  on   a   Sunday,  and   in  rlu-  vear    1201,  that  tin- 
decision   was  reached  which  sent  a   \  enetian  fleet  and 
arnu     to    rlu-    hast    under    tin-    a^cd    I)ooC- 
hnnco   Dandolo.      A   vast   crowd   rilled   tlu- 
hasihca  ot   Saint   Mark,  and  was  suclled  h\'  tin-  toreion 
knights  and  their  attendants,  who  had  descended  trom 
the    ducal    palace    after    heing    recei\c-d    In    the-    Do^e. 
Morc-o\c-r,    there    \\i-i\-    main    pilgrims    in    the  throng, 
wearing    upon    their   coats    and    cloaks    the 
emblem  of    the  cross.      Hi^h    mass    was    to 
In-    celebrated,     and     the     hiidi     altar    \\~as 
alrcadv   prepared   tor  the-  solemn   function. 
Betore  it  be^an,  however,  a  \er\    old  man  ot  venerable 
aspect,    but    still    pieserxiiiii    something    ot    his    earlier 
ener^\\    appeared    in    the   pulpit   of    the   cathedral.      I  le 
was  almost  sightless       so  blind,  indeed,  that 
he  had  to  be  led   when   he  \\alked.       l)llt,  in 
spite  of  a<M'  ami  intnnnr\\  hnnco  Dandolo  \\as  still  one 
ot    rhe    most    rc-markable    nun    h\inu    m    an    am-    which 
produced    main    characti-rs    of    \\ontlerful    individuality 
and   srren^rh.      l'.\en    his   blindness   was    not   tin    consi-- 
(jiiiiHi     lit    \\cakness    nr    old    aiie,    but    of    the    hendish 
cnu- t\    'it    rhe    I'.mperor    Manuel    C'omiu-nos,    \\ho    had 
almost  di-stro\'i'd  his  si^ht  \\  lu-n  he  had  been  ambassador 
in  C'onstantinople  neaiK    a  tpiarter  ot  a  centur\-  earlier. 


vi        YFAICK   AM)   CONSTANTINOPLE       131 

I  If   hue!   now   reached   the  age-  of   nmetv-four,   and   had 
been  Doge  already  eight  ve-ars. 

I  It-  stood  up  in  the-  pulpit  and  spoke-  to  the  people, 
nor  lonu;  bur  earnestly,  and  though  he  \vas  nearly  a 
hundred  vears  old  his  voice-  rang  clear  and  distinct 
through  the  vast  church,  and  the  words  he  spoke  were 
heard  and  long  remembered. 

'  ^  on  arc-  allied,'  he-  said,  "with  the  bravest  of  living 
men  lor  the  greatest  purpose-  which  man  can  embrace; 
and   I   am  old  ami  we-ak  ami  mv  boelv  has 
sore-  neeel  of   rest,  vet   I   cle-arl\    see'  that  no 
one-  can   lead   vou   in   this  enterprise  with  the  authority 
which    is   mine   as   chief   of   the-    Republic.      I    pray   vou 
give   me-   leave-   to   take   the   cross   that    I    mav   lead   you 
and  watch  over  vou,  and  let  mv  son  take  mv  place  here- 
to  guard   the   territories   of    \  emce-   while    I    go   forth   to 
li\f  or  die-  with  vou  and  with  these  pilgrims.' 

A  great  crv  \\e-nt  up  from  all  the-  pe-ople-,  'So  he-  it 
for  Clod's  sake-1  lake-  the-  cross  also  ami  come-  with 
us.'  And  therewith  a  great  wave  of  enthusiasm  moved 
the-  whole  host  strange-rs,  pilgrims,  ami  \  ene-tians 
alike;  ami  one-  who  stood  in  the-  crowd  has  recorded 
that  there-  was  some-thing  in  the'  bearing  of  the-  ancient 
l)o<u-,  in  his  prave-r  for  permission  to  take-  the  cross,  in 
tin-  sacrifice-  he  oflerc-d  of  the-  last  strength  that  was 
m  him,  that  brought  te-ars  to  the  eyes  of  the-m  that  saw 
and  heard. 

I  hen  Knrico  Dandolo,  laying  one-  hand  upon  the- 
shoulder  of  him  who  we-nt  he-fore  to  le-ael  him,  came 
down  and  knelt  he-fore-  the  hi<di  altar;  and  he  asked 


(il.K  AMNCS    FROM    HISTORY 


that  the  cross  should  In-  sewn  upon  his  ^reat  cotton 
bonnet  that  all  might  see  it,  and  a  <M'eat  number  of 
\  eni-nans  followed  Ins  example  and  took  tin-  cross  also. 

1  he  fleet  sailed  out  ot  the-  harbour  ot  \eince  on  the 
eighth  dav  ot  October  1202,  a  fleet  of  three  hundred 
sail,  the  noblest  and  best  equipped  that  hail  vet  been 
seen.  1  hive  hum-  vessels  led  the  line  the  .jfjnila, 
the  I'lirtttlisfj,  and  the  Pcllcgruid.  Aho\e  the  broad 
sails  the  standard  of  the  Republic  floated  from  the 
masthead,  while  the  flags  ot  other  nations  that  \\ere 
sending  crusaders  with  the  fleet  were  displayed  below  it 
and  at  the  yard-arms.  I  he  three-  hundred  vessels  were 
manned  bv  a  force  ot  torn  thousand  men  in  the  bloom 
ot  their  youth  and  strength. 

1  he  crusade  that  followed  has  been  too  often  de- 
scribed tor  me  to  describe  it.  I  shall  im-relv  endeavour 
to  present  a  short  statement  ot  the  mam  facts  and 
their  consequences. 

Pope    Innocent    III.    had    strictly   enjoined    upon    the 

crusaders  to  stop  nowhere  hv  the  \\av,  but  to  proceed 

directly  to  tin-   Holy   Land  \\ithout  turning 

aside  to  pursue  am   purpose  or  undertaking 

foreign  to  the  end  lor  which  the\'  had  bound  themselves 

together   In    solemn   oath.       I  he    Pope's   command    \\as 

peivmpton  ;     it    is   hartil\    necessar\    to  say   that   it   was 

also  prudent,  since  the   first   three  crusades  had    ;ho\\  n 

clear  v   to   what    extent   the    interests   of    commerce   and 

the  desire  for  <±\\\\\  could  thwart  the  true  purpose  "!  the 

I  lolv   \\  a  I".        N  e\  el  til  el  ess  till    \  elH  t  Kills  consult  led   that 

the    I'opc's   \\ords   could   be   interpreted   \\ith   a    breadth 


vi        VKNICK    AM)    CONSTANTINOPLE      133 

convenient  to  their  own  ends,  and  in  spite  of  the  resist- 
ance of  the  I'  rench  knights,  \vh<>  wished  to  ohey  the 
Pope  to  the  letter,  the  fleet  anchored  off  the  coast  of 
Dalmatia  in  order  to  retake  the  strongholds  which  had 
fallen  under  the  domination  of  Hungary.  I'.nnco 
Dandolo's  argument  in  favour  of  this  was  by  no  means 
illogical,  whatever  his  real  motives  may  have  been,  for 
he  pointed  out  that  it  was  absolutely  necessary  to  take- 
possession  of  all  harbours  on  the  wav  to  the  hast  from 
which  pirates  might  sail  out  to  harass  the  fleet. 

No  sooner  had  he  taken  the  city  of  Zara,  however, 
than  the  trench  knights  were  perplexed  and  terrified 
by  a  message  from  the  Pope,  who  threatened  to  excom- 
municate all  who  had  fought  in  this  mci- 

Ul  ii  11  II        y.iir.i  tt!t<ickt'i{  /'}' 

•ntal   war   unless   they   made   honourable     t/u,  ,-,.„,,, ,/,,,.,.  ' 

amends.      Ambassadors  were  at  once  sent      -•'•''•• 

//,///<>///;,.• 

to    Rome    to    explain    Dandolo's    specious     Great  (\>nitcii. 
argument    to    the    Pope    and    humbly    to    implore    the 
hitter's     pardon.        Innocent     granted     his      absolution 
readily  enough,  on  condition  that  the  crusaders  should 
not  turn  aside  again  on  their  wav  to  the-  Holy  Land. 

But   meanwhile  a   still  greater  temptation   presented 
itself    to    attract    the    crusaders    out    of    their    straight 
course.      For  a   long  time  past  the    Kmpire  of  the-   hast 
had  been   distracted   bv  civil  wars.      At.  the  time-  when 
the  crusaders  set  sail  from   \  enice  the   Kmperor   Isaac 
had  been  dethroned  and  blinded  bv  his  brother   Alexis, 
who    had    ser/ed    the    power.      But    Isaac's 
son,  the    vounger  .Alexis,  had  succeeded   in 
eluding  his  uncle's  vigilance,  and  had  escaped  from  Con- 


LU 

stantinople.      He  li;ul   \isited    Rome  \\irli   the   intention 

of  obtaining  assistance  from  Pope  Innocent 

III.,  hut  onlv  to  find  that   his  purposi-  h;ul 

been    forestalled    hv    his    uncle,    tin-    iviiMim^    Lmperor. 

1  he  latter,  tearing  the  Pope's  interference,  had  ahvad\ 

si' in    an    embassv    to    him    \\irh    instructions    to    beguile 

him  \virh  promises  of  a  reconciliation  between  the  (  Ireek 

and  Latin  Churcbes.      As  tbis  reconciliation,  or  submis- 

sion,  was  the  principal  inducement  which   the  voun^cr 

Alexis    had   to   otter   in    return    tor   help,   tin-    Popr   con- 

suk-red  that  it  would   he  wiser  to  treat   \\ith   tin-  uncle, 

\\  ho  was  in  possession,  rather  than  \\  ith  the  nephe\\  \\  ho 

\\as    a    tiiLi,iti\c-.      Deceived    in    his    nnpes,    tin     \c.un<;er 

Alexis    proceeded    to   (Jermanv,    to    the    court   of    KHILJ 

Philip  of   Swabia,  \\lio  had  set  himself   up  as    Ktnpc'i'or 

against  (  )tho  I\  .,  and  had  married  a  sistt-r  of  the  voim^ 

Prince-.      It   is   not  clear  whether   it   was    Philip   himself 

who  suggested  to  Alexis  tin-  possibility  of  attracting  the 

crusaders    to   Constantinople,    but    he    appears    to    have 

recommended  the  plan  and  to  ba\e  stronidv  ur^ed  the' 

\  enetians toa<ireeto  it.      Atall  events   \le\rs 

no\\   proceeded  to  /;ira  and  soon  interested 

;  ,   -  ;  ' 

;  tin-  ajj.ed   Daiulolo  in   his  cause.       lie  made 

//'..•  •  •/•  i  i 

L^reat     promises     it     the     crusaders     \\oulcl 

help  him  to  ^r  hack  tin  throne;  he  vuniltl  hear 
the  \\hole  expenses  of  tin  crusade  !or  one  vi-ar;  he 
\\ould  di\  ule  amongst  tin-  crusaders  a  sum  of  t\\o 
hundred  thousand  silver  marks;  he  \\ould  <;uarantee 
tor  all  future  time  that  h\e  hundred  knights  should  he 
supported  h\  the  (  Ireek  Kmpire  m  the  I  lo|\  Land  to 


vi        VENICE   AND   CONSTANTINOPLE       135 

guard  it  from  the  attacks  of  unbelievers;  and  rinallv, 
he  promised  to  bring  the  hastern  Church  back  to  the 
spiritual  dominion  of  the  popes.  1  hese  magnificent 
otters  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  moving  picture  which, 
on  the  other,  he-  drew  of  his  father  Isaac's  sufferings, 
produced  a  profound  impression  upon  his  hearers,  and 
especially,  perhaps,  upon  those  who  had  already  been 
in  Constantinople  and  had  formed  an  opinion  as  to  the 
value  of  such  a  pn/e.  In  the  eves  ot  the  \  enetians, 
too,  there  was  even  another  object  to  be  accomplished, 
namelv,  the  destruction  of  the  power  of  Pisa  and  of  her 
commerce  in  the  Kast. 

It  was  in  vain  that  the  Pope,  who  wished  to  manage 
matters  himself,  and  who  was  more  than  halt  pledged 
to  the  usurper  of  the  throne,  raised  his  voice 


in  threats  and  protestations;  it  was  in  vain 
that  he  insisted  on  the  wretched  condition  of  the  Chris- 
tians in  Palestine  and  the  extremities  to  which  thev  were 
reduced,  pointing  out  that  their  welfare  was  to  be  con- 
sidered rather  than  a  blind  prisoner  s  claims  to  tin-  throne 
from  which  he  had  been  ousted,  no  matter  how  unjustly. 
Nothing  that  the  Pope  could  sav  had  the  slightest  effect 
upon  men  whose  conscience  agreed  to  an  act  of  justice 
m  which  their  ruling  passion  for  oam  anticipated  an 
opportunity  tor  almost  unbounded  plunder.  I  hose 
who  feared  to  displease  the  Pope,  or  were  terrified  bv 
the  menace  ot  excommunication,  were  told  that  thev 
were  free  to  leave  the  ranks  it  thev  chose.  A  tew 
French  knights  took  advantage  of  tins  alternative  and 
left  the  armv;  amongst  these  was  Simon  de  Monttort. 


i.;'.  (JLKAMNGS    FROM    HISTORY  vi 

Bur  the  principal  I'rench  nobles  espoused  the  cause  of 
the  younger  Alexis,  including  Boniface  of  MonrfVrrat, 
Baldwin  ot  ["landers,  Louis  ot  Blois.  and  llu^li  the 
Count  ot  Saint  Paul.  1  IK-SI-  and  tin-  uivar  majoritv, 
with  their  followers,  threw  in  their  lor  with  Lnnco 
Dandolo,  and  looked  on  with  indifference  \\hen  tin- 
Pope's  cardinal  legates  left  the  crusade  and  proceeded 
to  the  Last  In'  themselves. 

Sismondi  considers  that  the  subsequent  attitude  of 
\emce  towards  the  Holv  See  throughout  her  historv 
had  its  origin  at  this  tinn-;  tor  when,  lu-tore  tin-  expe- 
dition sailed.  Cardinal  San  Marcello  arn\ed  in  \enice, 
as  the  Pope's  legate,  to  take  command  ot  the  crusading 
fleet,  he  was  informed  that  it  he  shipped  as  a  Christian 
preacher  he  should  he  treated  with  the  highest  honours, 
hut  that  it  "he  came  with  the-  slightest  idea  ot  IM\UILL 
orders  he-  could  not  he  allowed  on  hoard;  whereupon, 
having  thoroughly  understood  the  situation,  he  re- 
turned to  Rome. 

As  the  fleet  proceeded  eastwards  it  was  very  naturally 
obliged  to  pur  in  at  a  number  of  (Ireek  harbours,  not 
onlv  to  ohtain  provisions,  bur  because  ir  was  absolutely 
necessar\'  to  laiul  the  crusaders'  horses  trom  time  to 
time  tor  exercise-;  and  when  we  consider  the  conditions 
ot  naxi^ation  and  the  dimensions  of  vessels  m  those 
da\"s,  \\  e  are  surprisc-d  that  such  a  hodv  ot  cavalrv  could 
ha\e  been  successfully  transported  at  all  trom  tin- 
\enetian  islands  to  the  \er\  \\alK  of  Constantinople. 
Ir  was  Lietieralb  considered  at  that  period  that  (  on- 
stantmople  shared  the  dominion  ot  the  sea  with  \  c-mce, 


vi         VENICE   AND   CONSTANTINOPLE       137 

but  it  appears  that  the  Emperor's  brother-in-law,  who 
was  high  admiral  of  the  Meet,  had  deliberately  sold  for 


m~ 


:*^3 


4^- 


•    ^ 

'      •/••',      f      ^  .  : 

'  /-  •v^^:.i,,3 
1  0S-; 
i    v  ?n 


his  o\\  n  advantage  the-  sails,  riiigino;,  cables,  and  even 
anchors  of  the  ships  of  war,  and  that  the  vessels  them- 


i^S  GLKANINGS    FROM    HISTORY  vi 

si.-lvi.-s  had  been  allowed  to  rot  in  rlu-  Bosphorus  rill 
e\  en  rlu-  hulks  were  untir  tor  sea.  Ir  is  easv  to  under- 
stand whv  the  magnificently-equipped  Meet  ot  the 
\enetians  could  proceed  troni  OIK-  imperial  harbour  ro 
another  without  meeting  e\cn  .1  show  ot  opposition. 
Moreover,  wlierever  rhc-  crusaders  went  rhe\  toinul  the 
cities  rhcv  \ 'isired  well  disposed  towards  the  vomi^er 
Alexis.  In  this  wav  thev  touched  ar  [)ura//o,  Corfu, 
Cape  Malea,  Negroponte,  Andros  and  Ahydos,  and 
canu-  ar  last,  on  the  eve  ot  Saint  John  s  dav  irwentv- 
rhird  ot  June)  ro  the  town  and  ahhe\  ot  San  Sretano, 
famous  in  nian\"  a  later  \\ar,  to  our  o\\n  rimes,  ami  \\ell 
\\ithm  siohr  ot  tlu-  cit\\  Hen-,  says  (  Ii-oH  i\-\  tie  \  ille- 
ha  rdouin,  the  M  a  rshal  ot  Champagne,  and  the  e\'e\\  itness 
ami  chronicler  ot  the  \\hole  expedition,  the  masters  ot 
the  ships,  oallevs,  ami  transjiorts  took  harhour  and 
anchored  their  vessels:  'Now  vou  ma\  kno\\  that  lon^ 
thev  looked  upon  Constantinople  who  had  ne\er  seen 
it  vet,  ami  rhev  coultl  nor  helu-xt-  that  so  rich  a  citv 
could  In-  in  all  the  world.  \\ln-n  the\'  sa\\  those  lotiv 
walls  ami  those  rich  rowers  which  close  ir  in  all  round 
about,  ami  those  iieh  palaces  ami  tall  churches  ot  \\hich 
there  were  so  mam  as  no  one  could  have  helie\ed  it  In- 
had  not  seen  them  \\ith  his  eves,  through  all  the  length 
and  breadth  ot  that  cit\  ,  \\lncb  amoim  all  otlx-rs  \\as 
s  i\  en  1'j.n  :  kno\\  \'e  \\cll  rhar  then  rlu-re  \\  as  none  sobra\  e 
bur  rhar  his  heart  trembled,  ami  this  was  no  wonder,  tor 
ne\  t-r  \\as  so  ^reat  a  matter  undertaken  .  .  .  then  each 
looked  ro  his  amis,  considering  that  in  them  soldiers 
must  trust  \\hen  thev  shall  soon  ha\e  need  ot  them. 


vi        YKMCK   AND   CONSTANTINOPLE       1^9 

I  shall  not  attempt  to  describe  tin-  memorable  events 
which  followed.      Here,  as  in  main   passages  of  bis  his- 
torv,  it  mav  be  said  of  Gibbon,  as  of  Titian  bv   lame, 
that  'he  absorbed  bis  forerunners  and   ruined   bis  suc- 
cessors.'     It  is  enough  to  say  that  the  citv 
was   fortified    with    double   walls    and    four 
hundred  towers,  and  that  the  garrison  was  estimated  by 
\  illehardoum   at   no   less   than   tour   hundred   thousand 
men.       1  lie  resistance  was  obstinate,  but  the  attack  was 
irresistible.      1  he  1'  rench,  judging  at  first  that  thcv  could 
tight  better  on  land,  concentrated  their  strength  against 
the  northern  wall ;  the  \  enetians,  from  their  ships,  scaled 
the  fortifications  that    rose  from    the    ed<>e  of    the  sea. 
I  he  aL';ed    Dandolo  led  the  general  assault      ///,.., -i7/  ,•;,„_ 
himself,  twenty-five  of  the  towers  were  cap- 

J\i/iii,i,    I'lii'-'ttii,-, 

tured,  and  the  fall  of  Constantinople  was  //,,•//•  '.;•,•  r ,>,-,// 
a  foregone  conclusion.  But  the  \\  hole  sieves 
with  intermissions,  lasted  from  June  until  the  follow- 
ing April.  During  that  time  the  deposed  and  impris- 
oned Emperor  Isaac,  surnamed  Angelos,  succeeded 
through  his  friends  in  organising  a  revolution  in  his 
favour,  in  renaming  the  throne',  which  he  dixulcd  with 
his  son  Alexis,  and  finallv  in  quarrelling  with  his  lib- 
erators, the  \  enetians  and  the  French  crusaders,  after 
considerable  demonstrations  of  friendship,  because  he 
could  not  carrv  out  the  clause  in  the  agreement  relative 
to  the  subjection  of  the  (ireek  Church  to  the  popes. 
lie,  and  even  his  son,  the  vounger  Alexis,  though  not 
to  blame-  tor  this,  seem  to  have  been  very  hrtle  better 
than  his  brother,  the  elder  Alexis,  who  had  fled  tor 


i4o        GLFAXIXGS    FROM    HISTORY  vi 

safety,  ami  the-  stuelcnt  is  nor  sorrv  to  K-arn  rh;ir  rhe-v 
were  pur  to  death  lnr  such  patriots  as  remained  in  the 
corrupt  capital  before  the  final  assault. 

1  he  besiegers,  on  their  side,  had  made  a  fre-atv 
among  themselves  tor  the  division  of  the  spoil,  \\irh 
the  following  conditions  : 

First,  after  the-  taking  of  Constantinople-,  a  new  cm- 

/v .,,.;;. ,..;. ,--.  pe-ror  was  to  be  elected  from  among  the  cru- 
saders bv  a  bodv  consisting  of  six  \  e-ne-tians 
and  six  of  the  French  barons. 

Secondly,  whichever  nation  should  be  the  one  from 
which  the  emperor  was  chosen  was  to  leave  to  the  other 
the  church  of  Saint  Sophia,  with  the  right  of  designat- 
ing the  patriarch. 

1  hirdlv,  rhe  other  churches  of  the  citv  were  to  be 
equally  divided  between  \emce  and  rhe  French. 

Fourthly,  all  future-  conquests,  including  rhe  citv 
irself,  were  to  be  so  elivieled  that  the  elected  emperor 
should  recene  one-(]iiarter  of  the  whole-, 
while  the  remaining  three-(iuarters  we-re-  to 
be  di\  ided  e(|U ally  between  the  French  and  rhe\  i-iu-tians. 
It  was,  howe\'er,  provided  that  \emce  was  to  receive 
rhe  balance  of  rhe  sum  due  for  transporting;  tin-  cru- 
saders In-fore  anv  division  of  rhe  spoil  rook  place-. 

I  he-  city  was  fmallv  taken  on  rhe  twelfth  of  April 
1204,  the-  final  assault  haxm^  lasted  three-  elavs,  but  as 
it  \s  as  late-  m  the  ela\'  \\lu-n  the-  allies  ;_M>r  possession 
of  rlu  fortifications  thev  did  not  venture-  into  the 
interior  of  rhe  citv  until  tin-  following  morning.  It 
has  been  estimated  thar  nearh  one-half  of  rhe  e~it\' 


vi        VENICE   AND   CONSTANTINOPLE       141 

with  all  the  treasures  it  contained  had  been  destroyed  by 
the  three  great  hires  which  had  taken  place 
during  the  preceding  months,  yet  the  spoil 
that    remained    far   exceeded    anything    re- 
corded in  historv,  and  it  is  not  to  he  denied 
that   both    the    1*  rench    and   the   Venetians 
committed    frightful    excesses    in    the    hirst    intoxication 
ot    their   immense   triumph. 

1  he    articles    ot    the    treaty    the    victors    had    made 
among   themselves   were   strictly   observed.      1  he   spoil 
was  divided  in  the  manner  and  proportions 
stipulated,  electors  were  chosen,  and  they       H,M-"I",   i. 
proceeded    to    the    choice    of    an    emperor.    '  lc<'/lt"!"  •  s< 
It  was  but  natural  that  the  majontv  should 
agree    at    once    upon    the    Doge    Enrico    Dandolo,    to 
whose   judgment,  determination,  and   personal   courage 
the  success  of  an  apparently  impossible  enterprise  was 
large!}'    due.      A    force    ot    between    thirtv    and    tortv 
thousand  men,  coming  in  ships  from  a  distant  country 
and   facing   every   possible   strategic   disadvantage,    had 
destroyed  the  Eastern  Empire  in  a  tew  months,  and  had 
captured   the   most  strongly   fortified   cm    in   the   world 
against  odds  of  more  than  ten  to  one.      f  rom  first  to  last 
thev  had  been  counselled,  directed,  and  led  bv  the  aged 
Doo-e ;    assuredly  no  one  was   more-  worthv  than   he  to 
receive  the    highest   reward    and    the   greatest   share   of 
honour.      One  frenchman  and  one  Venetian,  however, 
dissented,    and    it   was   the   \  enetian    who    argued    con- 
vincingly against   Dandolo's  election.      He  pointed  out 
clearly   that    the    chief    magistrate    of    a    free    republic 


i42  (il. i:\M\CS    FROM    HISTORY  vi 


rli;ir      Baldwin     ol      Inlanders     should      In- 

chosen     instead.         1  In-     Venetians     rln-in- 

si-l\c-s    \\(.-i\-   i-;isilv    persuaded   ol    tin-    instici-    ami    ^ood 


seiisi-   of    this    \  u  \\ ,   and    it    was   forthwith    imamnioush 
adi  iptcd. 

I  he  roin i  iict'oi's  proceeded  in-\t  \\ithoiit  dela\  to 
the  disnieinhernn-nt  of  the  I'.nipire.  dividing  amongst 
thenisi-K  es  pro\  inees  and  cities  of  which  the\  hareh 
kne\\,  and  couKl  nor  cori"ectl\  \\  1'ite  the  names,  and 
onnttin"  mam  ol  the  ver\  e\istem\-  of  \\lneli  tln-\  \\erc- 


vi         YLMCL   AND   CONSTANTINOPLE       143 

in  ignorance.  .Amongst  the-  lands  and  strongholds 
which  fell  to  the-  share  of  the-  \  em-rums  max  he  nu-n- 
rioned  Lacedaemon,  l)ura//.o,  rhe  Islands  of  rhe  Cvcla- 
des  and  Sporades,  and  rhe  Island  ot  Crete,  or  Candia, 
taken  over  in  a  friendly  exchange  from  rhe  Marquis  of 
Montferrat,  and  all  rhe  eastern  coast  of  rhe  Adriatic. 
1  he  Doge  of  \  emce  added  to  his  nrles  rhe 

I  nnidt'i    1 2~ . 

one  of  'Lord  and  Master  of  a  quarter  and 
a    half-quarter  of   the   Roman    I'. injure,'   and   in   official 
acts  the-  ne\\    Emperor  was  to  address  him  as  'Carissi- 
mus  Socms  nostn   Imperil.' 

1  his  vast  and  sudden  extension  of  territory,  while  it 
at  once  placed  the  Republic  on  an  equal  footing  with 
the  greatest  European  powers,  had  many  disadvantages, 
and  was  fraught  with  dangers.  \  emce  consisted  prop- 
erly of  nothing  more  than  the  cifv  and  the  duchv,  with 
a  population  which  Sismondi  estimates  at  two  hundred 
thousand  souls;  the  partition  of  rhe  Empire  conferred 
upon  \  emce,  by  a  stroke  of  rhe  pen,  main'  thousand 
square  miles  of  land  and  seven  or  eight  millions  of 
subjects,  and  \enice,  as  rhe  author  I  am  quoting  very 
pithily  says,  though  not  able  to  annex  Padua,  only 
twenty  miles  from  the  lagoons,  was  now  undertaking 
to  subdue  what  constituted  a  powerful  kingdom,  and 
to  defend  it  against  I  urks,  Bulgarians,  \\  allachians,  and 
possibly  even  against  the  Latins  ot  Constantinople. 

It  was  clear  that  though  the  commerce-  of  the 
Republic  might  gam  immensely  by  this  extension  of  her 
dominions,  the  responsibility  assumed  hv  the  Republic 
was  far  beyond  that  which  so  limited  a  population  could 


i44          CiLKAMNCuS    FROM    HISTORY  vi 

bear,  and  that  the-  expense's  of  administering  and  de- 
tending  flu-  distant  provinces  would  he  enormous.  Nor 
could  rhe  \enetians  afford  to  oxerlook  the  tact  that 
their  jj;reat  rivals,  Cienoa  and  1'isa,  would  spare  no  effort 
to  drive  them  from  their  new  possessions  In  fair  means 
or  foul.  Before  the  taking  of  Constantinople  the  rich 
citi/ens  either  lived  at  home  altogether  or 

Rom.  ii.  /.Vj>.  ,  , 

returned  after  each  voyage  to  fit  their  ships 
for  another;  hut  so  soon  as  the  Republic  hecamc  the 
possessor  of  important  colonies  in  the  Kast,  it  was 
manifestly  necessary  that  a  considerable  number  of  the 
most  experienced  and  bravest  Venetians  should  remain 
constantly  abroad  to  administer  and  defend  those-  new 
p<  issessions. 

1  he  position  of  Venice  at  this  time  may  be  not 
inaptly  compared  with  that  of  Rome  when,  after  the 
annexation  of  Sicily,  she  found  herself  obliged  to  in- 
augurate that  system  of  provincial  government  which 
she  e\er  afterwards  followed.  Hut  \emce  was  not 
Rome-,  and  even  if  the  \  enetians  had  possessed  the 
(juahties  of  the  Romans  in  addition  to  their  own,  they 
couKl  nor  have  succeeded  as  the  Romans  did,  since  in 
(iciioa  and  I'isa  they  had  competitors  as  cmhsed  aiul  as 
wealthy  as  themselves  and  far  more  numerous.  Rome 
\\ent  on  and  conquered  the  world;  \enice  drew  back 
m  the  fai'e  of  a  manifest  impossibility,  retiring  with 
much  common  sc-nse  and  not  a  little  di!_',nit\,  from  a 
career  of  successful  conquest  to  tin-  less  brilliant  but 
more  stable  condition  of  a  commercial  people. 

I  In  \  eiietian  senate  attn  due  deliberation  Liave  up  all 
uli  a  of  retainui"  possession  of  the  new  conmu  sts,  and  in 


vi         VENICE  AND   CONSTANTINOPLE       145 

the  vear  1207  issued  an  edict  authorising  all  Venetian 
citi/ens  to  fit  out  at  their  own  expense  armed  expeditions 
to  sei/e  anything  they  could  in  the  Greek  archipelago  or 
on  the  Greek  coast;  the  Republic  hound  itself  to  leave 
each  individual  adventurer  the  lands  or  cities  he  \\as  able 
to  take,  as  his  property  in  perpetual  fee,  reserving  itself 
only  the  right  of  sovereign  protection.  It  is  true  thai 
the  coast  and  the  islands  named  in  this  edict  formed  a 
part  of  \  em.ce's  share  in  the  division  of  the  Eastern 
Empire,  vet  1  doubt  whether  at  am  time  in  the  history 
of  nations  any  government  has  ventured  to  issue  such  a 
wholesale  charter  to  piracv,  and  none  was  ever  more 
literally  interpreted. 

As  for  the  short-lived  Empire  of  the  Eatms  in  Con- 
stantinople, it  was  brought  to  an  end  by  the  familv  of 
the  Paleologi  with  the  assistance  of  the  Genoese,  whose 
principal  object  was  to  procure  the  expulsion  of  the 
\  enetians  from  the  East.  But  Michael  Paleologos  had 
the  good  sense  to  understand  that  the  rum  of  \  enctian 
commerce  would  entail  serious  damage  to  his  own,  and 
he  did  his  utmost  to  maintain  good  relations  between  flu- 
two  Italian  Republics.  In  this  he  did  not  altogether  suc- 
ceed, as  he  found  himself  under  the  necessity  of  irritat- 
ing  Genoa  by  confirming  manv  of  the  ancient  pri\  ilexes 
of  \  emce.  ( )n  these  conditions  the  \  enefians  consenfc-d 
to  turn  a  cleat  ear  to  the  complaints  and  entreaties  of 
Baldwin  IE,  the  dethroned  Latin  emperor,  \\lio  \\an- 
dered  about  Europe  in  the  vain  hope  of  obtaining  help. 

By  the-  end  of  the  thirteenth  ccnturv  the  political  in- 
fluence of  \emce  in  the  Greek.  Empire  had  dwindled 
1*  DL.  i.  —  I, 


H''  (M.K. \NINCS    FROM    HISTORY  vr 

to  insignificance  compared   \\irh   her  <Mv;it  commercial 
importance-.      As  the    latter   increased,  the    |ealous\    ot 
(  Je-noa  grew  more-  and  more-  dangerous,  and  tin-  colonies 
held  In    Venetian  \assals  were  in  constant  peril. 

Ir  was  the  misfortune  of  \  eniee  that  her  last  ele-velop- 
ment  had  been  too  sudden.  I  he-  slightest  matter  miidu 
compromise  the  safctv  of  her  colonies,  and  through  them 
her  own. 

^  et  her  position  was  brilliant,  and  her  strength  was 
not  fictitious.  I  he-  terms  of  the  trcatv  concluded  with 
Michael  Paleologos  were  such  as  might  \\ell  flatter  even 
the-  pride  and  vamrv  of  a  \  enetian,  and  the 
Doge  continued  to  call  himself  Lord  and 
Master  of  a  quarter  and  a  halt-quarter  of  the  Roman 
Km  pi  re,  while  the  permanent  ambassador  of  \emce  at 
Constantinople  continued  to  be  treated  bv  the-  I'alcoIojM 
as  an  alb  and  a  friend. 

Before  leaving  the  thirteenth  centurv  I  shall  sav  a 
fe-w  words  about  the  earlv  laws  and  those  who  made 
them,  as  an  appropriate-  introduction  to  flu-  storv  of  the 
invat  conspirators  \\lio  attempted  to  grasp  tin-  siipre-me- 
powe-r  in  spite-  ( >f  them. 

1-  rom  \\hat  has  mine-  before-,  it  must  be  e'lear  that  the- 
\  enetian  Republic,  as  it  \\as  \\heii  it  first  took  its  place 
amonc  the  Kuropean  po\\i-rs.  was  the  re-suit  of  e-ircum- 
stances  rather  than  of  tin-  growth  of  a  rare;  and  it  is 
much  easier  to  trace  a  result  to  its  cause-  than  a  growth 

to   its    primitiNe   t\pe.      llavinji    cot   so   far,   the-   student 

I  ^   ^ 

\\ill   naturalK    be  CUIKUIS  as  to  the  internal   mechanism 
•  if   ;i   "o\(Tnimnt   which   be-i/an  so  earlv,  lasted  so  long, 


vi          EARLY   LAWS   AM)    LAW  (ilYKRS       147 

and  worked, on  the  whole,  with  such  wonderful  precision 
ami  certamtv. 


^^^^'H  t- 


is>  m 

!Wj          »f:  M  '  •«    WJA  l\. 


'•'teiV^iUig  ^i^^S^^S  ^p?r&S 

;,;.,^^s^plSBifl^lM , 


It  will   nor  he  necessary  to  recapitulate  the  attempts 
and  experiments  of  the  rirst  tuiMti\es  after  they  re-ached 


i4S          GLEANINGS    FROM    HISTORY  vi 

rlu-  islands.  I  need  only  re-call  to  tin  reader  the- 
'[  niYc-rsirv  ot  the-  I  nbunes,'  In  \\hich  tin-  different 
tribes  \\ere  represented  atul  were-  respectively  u<>\  erned, 
the  first  doges,  the  short  return  to  tin-  system  ot" 
tribunes,  and  the  second  and  final  establishment  of  a 
doge  as  head  ot  the  Republic.  At  this  point  in  history 
t\vo  main  tacts  stand  out  at  once-:  on  the  one  hand,  tin- 
unlimited  power  ot  the  doges,  whose  authority  was  not 
restrained  by  any  positive  law,  still  less  by  any  body  of 
men  in  the-  shape-  ot  senate  or  council,  whose  chief  aim 
was  generally  to  make  their  dignity  hereditary,  and  who 
were  to  all  intents  and  purposes  the  absolute-  masters 
ot  their  country's  destiny  while  they  lived;  on  tin- 
other  hand,  \\  e  find  an  assembly  ot  the  clergy  and 
people,  generally  very  tar  trom  exacting  as  to  tin- 
doge's  conduct,  but  reach'  and  able-  to  wrest  the 
sovereignty  from  him  it  he  pushed  his  absolutism  too 
tar  tor  their  taste-.  In  those  days  a  great  simplicity 
prevailed.  I  he  chosen  chief  used  his  position  un- 
hesifatinglv  tor  his  own  advantage;  the  clergy  were 
simple-minded;  the  people  were  very  busy  with  their 
own  affairs. 

\\hen  these-  reactions  led  to  bloodshed,  it  \\as  usually 
because-  otu-  or  more-  ot  the-  on- at  families  had  interests 
at  srake  and  aimed  at  tin-  supre-nn-  power;  ami  one 
of  tin-  most  common  causes  of  discord  was  removed 
when  the  Doge  Domemco  Habiamco  caused  the  popular 
assembly  to  pass  a  law  forbidding  tin-  do^u-s  to  asso- 
ciate anv  one  with  them  in  the  sovereignty.  I  his 
reform  checked  the-  tendency  of  the  !>o\  ernnu-nt  to 


vi         EARLY   LAWS   AND    LAW-GIVERS       149 

turn  into  an  hereditary  monarchy,  and  another  law 
passed  at  the  same  time  gave  the  Doge  two  permanent 
counsellors,  with  power  to  add  to  their  numbers  others, 
chosen  from  the  prominent  citizens,  when  any  very  im- 
portant matter  presented  itself.  The  latter  measures 
had  no  practical  result,  for  the  Doge  was  left  free  to 
call  in  these  'notabili  pregadi,'  or  'invited  notables,'  or 
not  to  do  so  at  his  pleasure,  and  he  invariably  forgot 
their  existence.  As  for  the  two  counsellors,  they  might 
as  well  not  have  existed  for  any  mention  of  them  that 
is  to  be  found  in  the  documents  of  the  twelfth  century. 

It  gradually  became  clear  that  the  rights  and  powers 
of  the  Doge  must  be  more  exactly  defined,  and  that 
some  means  must  be  found  for  subjecting  him  to  the 
will  of  the  people  without  constantly  calling  together 
a  general  assembly,  which  was  not  a  slight  matter. 
This  need  seems  to  have  found  expression  for  the  first 
time  about  the  year  1 1  72. 

Six  months  were  spent  in  deliberations  before  an 
institution  was  agreed  upon  which  should  represent  the 
nation.  The  general  assembly  then  determined  upon 
the  election  of  a  certain  number  of  councillors,  who 
were  to  serve  only  for  one  year,  and  were  to  have  the 
management  of  all  affairs  of  state.  1  hey  were  to  be 
eighty  in  number  for  each  of  the  six  'sestieri'  of  the  city, 
and  therefore  in  all  four  hundred  and  eighty. 

This  was  the  origin  of  the  'Great  Council,'  of  which 
the  duties  were  to  distribute  the  offices  of 
government  amongst  those  who  were  best 
able  to  fill  them  honourably  and  to  the  advantage  of  the 


state;  to  frame-  laws,  which  were  submitted  to  the 
approval  ot  the  General  Assemblv;  ami  to  examine  all 
proposals  that  came  from  the  Pregadi,  \\irh  the  consent 
and  collaboration  of  the  Do^e  and  the  six  counsellors 
whose  assistance-,  or  guidance,  \\as  no\\  imposed  upon 
him  without  consulting  his  wishes. 

In  order  to  lighten  the  labours  ot  the  (  Ireat  Council, 
another  assembly  ot  torn  citi/i-ns  was  created,  whose 
business  it  was  to  prepare  the  mate-rial  tor  the-  Council  s 
sessions.  Little-  hv  little-  this  asse-mbb  acquired  more- 
ami  more-  importance-,  till  it  share-el  \\ith  the- 
Pregadi  an  authority  which  wei«fhed  pe-r- 
ceptihly  upon  tin-  ele-cisions  of  the-  (Ireat  Coum-il.  I  he 
Pregadi,  w  ho  her  a  UK-  the-  Se-nate-.  ami  the-  On  a  ran  tine,  or 
Council  ot  I'orn.  we-iv  r\\o  similar  ami  parallel  poue-rs, 
\\lnch  it  illicit  ha\e  be-e-n  to  the-  advantage  ot  the-  l\e- 
publu-  to  turn  into  one-. 

I  he-  position  of  the-  Doge  was  now  clearh  defined. 
[  mle-r  no  e'livumstane'e  s  could  he  am  longer  exercise 
ahsolute  authority;  and  if  he-  desired  an\  re-form,  or 
had  am  law  to  pn>pos(  ,  he-  was  constrained  to  obtain, 
be-fore-  acting,  the-  approbation  of  his  counsellors  and 
of  the-  Pregadi  m  tin-  first  place,  and  afterwards  to  <j_cr 
his  measure-  acci-pti-d  b\  the  hortv,  \\hich  the -n  had  to 
obtain  the  sanction  of  the  (  ire  at  Council,  \\huh,  in  its 
turn,  it  the  matter  were  important,  was  bound  to  brniLi 
the-  bill  before-  the  (  ie-m-ral  \sse-mbb',  to  be  \oted  on  In 
the  e'K  r<^\-  and  the  pi-op le. 

In    time-    the-    custom    was    introduced    according    t'1 
\vhle'h     the     Do^e    took     an     oath     be-fore     the      people      on 


vi          KARLY    LAWS    AM)    LAW-CIIVKRS       151 

the    clay    ot     his    coronation,    called    the    'promission 
ducale/     the    'ducal     promise.'       At     tirst 

...  .  .  AV«.  //.  2!t. 

this  oath  was  simply  a  promise  to  obey 
scrupulously  the  laws  of  the  Republic,  hut  little  by 
little  clauses  were  added  to  it  which  went  so  tar  as 
to  deprive  the  Doge  even  ot  certain  rights  common  to 
all  other  cm/ens  ot  \enice.  In  the  fourteenth  and 
Fifteenth  centuries  the  'ducal  promise'  reached  a  stage 
ot  development  at  which  it  destroyed  the  liberty  ot  the 
chief  ot  the  state,  and  became  almost  an  insult  to  his 
dignity.  During  the  interregnum  between  the  death  ot 
each  doge  and  the  coronation  ot  his  successor,  three 
gra\e  magistrates  were  chosen  bv  the  (ireat  Council, 
called  the  'Inquisitors  upon  the  deceased  Doge,'  who 
he-Id  a  solemn  trial  ot  the  dead  man's  actions  and  ot  his 
whole  lite;  at  the  same  time  five  other  personages 
studied  the  wording  ot  the  next  'ducal  promise-,'  ot 
which  rhev  were  termed  the  'Correctors,'  their  business 
being  to  examine  the  situation,  and  to  ascertain  how  it 
might  be  possible  tor  the  future  sovereign  to  advance 
his  own  fortunes  at  the  expense  ot  the  public  interests; 
to  judge,  or  merelv  guess,  what  matters  he-  might  In- 
able  to  influence  too  much,  and  therein'  to  decide  in 
what  way  his  actions  and  powers  could  be  still  further 
restrained  and  limited  by  introducing  new  clauses  into 
the  promise. 

1  he  first  law  which  was  elaborated  and  passed  bv  the 
(ireat  Council  was  one  which  reformed  the  election  ot 
the  doges.  1  he  Council  wished  to  reserve  the  electoral 
right  to  eleven  ot  its  own  members,  but  the  people 


i52  (ILLAMXdS    FROM    HISTORY  vi 

protested  againstthiseneroaehmenton  ancient  traditions. 
I  he  legislators  then  went  to  work  to  prose1,  ssith  all  the 
e-loquence  at  their  command,  that  the  lass  thev  wished 
to  pass  eliel  not  in  am  svav  infringe  the-  rights  of  the 
national  assembly,  but  that  it  was  simplv  a  wise  ami 
paternal  effort  on  the  part  of  the  Council  to  help  the 
people  in  their  choice;  for  the  law  provided  that  clesen 
electors  were  to  appear  before  the  assembly  ami  present 
their  candidate  with  the  words,  'Here  is  vour  Doge, 
if  this  choice  pleases  von.' 

Incredible  as  it  seems,  the  people  were  prevailed  upon 
to  accept  this  proposal,  not  seeing  that  in  so  eloing  thev 
were    forfeiting    their    most    saluable-    privilege.       I  he-\ 
even    acclaimed    with   enthusiasm    the   first 
Doge  who  ssas  elected  unele-r  the-  nesv  lasv 
in    1172.      He  ssas  Sebastian  Ziano.      'Long  life  to  the- 
Doge,'  the-  people-  cried,  'ami  mav  he-  bring  us  peace-!' 
On  this  occasion,  it  is  true-,  the  popular  enthusiasm 
ss'as  justified,  for  the  rule  of  /iano  ssas  just  and  honour- 
able-.      But,    in    spite-   of    the-    success   of    the 

A' .'//,-.  n.  /j,'.  .  ' 

e-xpe-nme-nt,  the1  (Ireat  Council  introduced 
a  further  change  in  the-  lass,  and  at  the-  next  ele-ction 
the-  number  of  ele-ctors  ssas  increaseel  to  tortv,  ami  late-r 
still  to  fortv-onc,  in  orele-r  to  prese-nr  a  tie-. 

Looking  bae'k  on  the-  labours  of  the-  (Ire-at  Council 
in  the  twelfth  and  thirteenth  centurie-s,  one-  cannot  he-lp 
being  ^tnick  bv  the-  unchangeable-  purpose  svhich  runs 
through  all  the-  lasvs  it  passe-d,  from  the-  time  it 
came  into  existence-  till  it  shut  its  doors  in  the-  face- 
"t  the  people,  neser  to  ope-n  them  during  the  fise 


vi          LARLY   LAWS   AND    LAW-GIVERS       15^ 

hundred  years  of  lustorv  which  then  lay  before  the 
Republic.  One  cannot  but  acquire  the  conviction  that 
the  aristocracy  set  to  work  very  earlv  to  get  possession 
of  the  supreme  power,  to  the  exclusion  even  ot  the 
Doge  himself,  and  that  they  worked  out  their  plan  in 
the  course  of  a  hundred  and  titty  years  —say,  rive  gener- 
ations—  without  ever  hesitating  or  turning  aside  after 
new  ideas;  and,  moreover,  that  during  that  time  the 
eyes  of  the  people  were  never  once  really  open  to  what 
was  going  on. 

As  soon  as  the  relations  between  the  Doge  and  the 
government  were  established,  the  Great  Council,  alwavs 
paternally  'guiding'  the  popular  assembly,  set  to  work 
upon  laws  affecting  the  administration,  and  the  condi- 
tions and  relations  ot  commerce.  And  here  it  must  be 
said  that  several  ot  the  doges  who  reigned  in  the 
thirteenth  century  exhibited  remarkable  talents  tor 
legislation;  the  names  ot  Orio  Mastropiero,  Lnnco 
Dandolo,  and  jacopo  1  iepolo  mark  so  manv  stages  in 
Venetian  progress  and  civilisation. 

The-   first  ot  these,  Orio   Mastropiero,  the  successor 
ot  Sebastian  Ziano,  occupied  himself  actively  in  drawing 
up  a  criminal  code,  which  should  render  less  arbitrary 
the   sentences   ot    judges    who   were   often    incompetent 
and    were    always    elected     provisional!}'.       I  his    code 
received     the     name    of     'Promission     del 
Maleficio,'  the  'promise  to,  or  with  regard 
to,     crime,'     and     it    was     frequently     improved     upon 
during   the    vears    that    followed    its    promulgation.      It 
provided    tor    almost    all    possible    crimes,    and    estab- 


iS4  (il.K. \M\CS    FROM    HISTORY  vi 

hshed  for  each  one  .1  punishment  which  seemed  |iisr 
according  to  flu-  spirit  of  tin-  times.  I  hese  penalties 
in  main"  oases  seem  barbarous  to  us,  though  it  \\'as 


nor     tin-     \enetians     ^\  lio     m\entc-d     strangulation,     or 

flit  riiftinLi  oil  ot  the  hand,  or  tortiin-  b\  red-hot 
iron,  or  tin  tearing  out  ot  the  eves  and  the  tongue. 
I  he  tribunals  ot  all  nations  had  IOIILL  ;iU"  adopted  these 
ments,  and  it  is  certain  that  there  \\as  no 


vi         KAKLY   LAWS    AM)    LAW-GIVERS       155 

\vliL' iv  fuller  proofs  \\viv  required  than  in  \  enice  before 
nnv  severe  penalties  could  be  inflicted  on  a  citi/en. 
One  of  the  chief  merits  of  the  \  enetian  code  of  that 
period,  as  compared  with  the  codes  of  other  countries, 
is  that  it  points  out  to  the  judge  the  causes  of  crime, 
and  the  small  misdeeds  which  mav  lead  to  great  ones,  as 
distinguished  from  those  which  are  not  hkelv  to  leave 
am'  results.  1  hus,  for  instance,  the  smallest  act  of 
disrespect  to  a  respectable  woman  was  punished  almost 
as  severelv  as  an  assault  upon  her. 

For  a  long  time  the  onlv  permanent  tribunal  in 
\emce  had  been  the  'Magistrate)  del  Proprio,'  which 
dealt  with  civil  questions.  The  quarrels 
of  the  common  people  were  judged  bv 
rive  'wise  men'  'savn.'  ()no  Mastropiero  succeeded 
in  passing  a  law  for  the-  institution  of  a  court  to 
deal  with  differences  arising  between  \  enetians  and 
foreigners,  or  amongst  the  latter,  and  this  was  named 
'Magistrate  del  Forestiero,'  the  'foreigners'  court,' 
so  to  sav.  In  addition  to  these  courts,  which 
were  subject  to  the  authority  of  the-  (Ireat  Council, 
there  were  the  'Avogadon  del  Comun,'  the-  municipal 
advocates,  as  we  should  probably  sav,  who  had  authority 
m  fiscal  questions,  and  the  list  is  complete.  I  he  stare 
of  \emce  was  directed  and  judged  in  the  bodies  I  ha\e 
enumerated. 

In  matters  of  commerce  all  Europe  recognised  the 
superiority  of  \emce  at  that  time,  and  lon^  afterwards. 
A  single  illustration  of  the  practical  sense  of  Venetian 
merchants  will  suffice:  the\'  invented  percentage,  and 


156  r.LKAMNCS    FROM    HISTORY"  vi 

flu-  word  rhar  expresses  ir.  He-tore-  them,  tin-  world  had 
alwavs  said,  'so  many  pence  in  flu-  pound,'  or  'tour- 
fitths,'  or  'seven-eighths.'  The  \  enctians  first  conceived 
the  idea,  and  introduced  the  practice,  of"  reducing  all 
commercial  tractions  to  the  common  denominator,  one 
hundred. 

Ono  Mastropiero  further  enriched  the  state  with 
a  permanent  source  of  income  bv  giving  it  a  regular 
monopoly  of  salt  and  the  salt  trade. 

facopo  1  lepolo,  elected  Doge  in  I22g,  was  un- 
doubtedly  one  of  the  most  enlightened  and  intellectually 
well-balanced  men  of  his  age,  and  he  seems  to  have 
embraced  at  a  glance  all  those  questions  which  his  pre- 
decessors had  examined  one  bv  one,  and  often  onlv  from 
a  single-  side.  lie  conceived  the  idea  of  compiling  a 
complete-  coele  which  should  be-  a  sort  of  permanent 
charter  tor  the  Republic,  and  he-  entrusted  the-  execu- 
tion of  his  plan  to  tour  'learneel,  noble-,  and  eliscreet 
persons,'  tor  that  is  all  that  is  to  be-  learneel  of  the-m, 
through  the-  note-  that  precedes  the-  original  text  of  their 
work.  1  hat  text  consisted  of  five  books  destined  to 
become  famous  in  the-  history  of  Kuropean  legislation. 

1  Im  is  no  place'  to  discuss  a  le^al  coelc,  but  no  one 
who  jdance-s  at  lie-polo's  bodv  of  laws  can  tail  to  be 
struck  In  the-  main  provisions  it  contains  for  the-  pro- 
tection of  \\ome-n  and  their  properrv.  I  do  not  know 
whether  we  ou^iit  to  think  that  this  spe-aks  we-Il  or  ill 
tor  the-  condition  of  \  eiu-tian  ethie's  at  a  time  \\lu-n  the- 
sla\e-  traele-  \\'as  already  thriving,  and  \\he-n  tlu-re-  were  a 
great  number  of  Kastern  female  sla\es  in  the-  capital. 


vi         KARLY   LAWS   AND   LAW-GIVERS       157 

On  the  whole,  the  laws  mav  have  been  made  with  a  \  lew 
to  protecting  honest  matrons  from  being  plundered, 
directlv  or  indirectly,  by  their  handsome  and  perfectly 
unscrupulous  rivals,  whose  influence  was  already  becom- 
ing great,  and  was  destined  to  be  portentous. 

At  any  rate,  the  honour  and  the  lives  ot  honourable 
women  were  not  more  carefully  protected  than  their 
material  interests.  Every  husband  was  obliged  to  render 
an  account  to  his  wife  ot  the  dowry  she  had  brought 
him,  and  she  could  dispose  of  it  by  will  as  she  pleased. 
A  widow  enjoyed  the  whole  income  left  by  her  husband 
during  a  year  and  a  day  from  his  death,  and  during  that 
time  no  one  could  bv  anv  means  drive  her  from  his 
house.  It  she  declared  her  intention  of  not  marrvmg 
again  she  preserved  her  right  of  residence  all  her  lite. 
Nevertheless,  an  unfaithful  wife,  it  proved  guilty,  for- 
feited her  dowry  to  her  husband,  and  he  could  turn  her 
out  of  his  home. 

1  lepolo's  civil  code  provided  also  tor  a  case  which 
seems  to  have  been  not  uncommon  namely,  that  in 
which  a  married  couple,  like  the  Doge  Pietro  O-rseolo 
and  his  wife,  agreed  to  take  vows  and  part,  each  enter- 
ing a  religious  order.  1  he  law  he-re  introduced  the 
form  ot  a  separation  ot  goods,  leaving  each  parrv  tree 
thereafter  to  administer  his  or  her  fortune  at  will. 

In  addition  to  the  immense  labour  connected  with 
his  body  of  laws,  Tiepolo  also  occupied  himself  with 
the  nautical  regulations  which  had  obtained  authority 
bv  long  use.  I  have  no  doubt  that  in  so  doing  he  used 
the  Amalfi  marine  code,  as  in  his  laws  he  made  use  of 


ivs  CI.KAMNCiS    FROM    HISTORY'  vi 

tin'  I'andects   ot     fusfmiaii,  discovered   in    \in;ilfi   about 
;i  hundred  vears  earlier. 

Some  of  the  clause's  arc-  curious.  Captains  and 
owners  ot  ships  art-  forbidden,  for  instance,  to  delegate 
tlu-ir  authority  'to  a  pilgrim,  a  soldier,  or  a  servant.' 
In  case  of  shipwreck,  the  whole  crew  was  hound  to 
work  fifteen  full  davs,  hut  no  more,  at  saving  the  car<M>, 
of  \\lnch  thev  could  tlu-n  claim  three  per  cent.  f.\er\ 
ordmar\'  vessel  was  to  carrv  two  trumpets,  presuinahh' 
as  foghorns.  \  erv  lar<u-  ships  \\ere  to  carry  a  sort  of 
orchestra,  consisting  of  two  bass  drums,  one  drum  and 
one  trumpet.  1  he  marine  code  has  some  interest  also, 
as  indicating  the  <u-neral  nature  ot  the  nurchandise 
earned  bv  \enetian  vessels:  wo\eii  stuffs,  pepjH'r,  in- 
cense, indigo.  stiL2,ar  in  the  loaf,  nnnh,  oum  arable, 
aloes,  camphor,  run-,  almonds,  apples,  wine  anil  oil  are 
to  he  found  mentioned,  with  main'  more  articles  of 
commerce. 

1  lepolo  s  code  hears  the  stamp  of  a  sort  of  IH-IKTOUS 
but  not  foolish  simplicity,  which  realK  sur\i\ed  in  the- 
Republic  until  dreams  of  foreign  comjuest  brought  lu-r 
into  danger,  and  she  auoke  to  find  that  tlangerous 
enemies  had  wormed  their  wav  '-\cn  into  the  ducal 
palace.  It  \\as  then  that  she  began  to  multiph  IIKILIIS- 
tracie.s  and  to  frame  innumerable  laws  that  interfered 
\\iih  and  neutralised  c-ach  otlu-r;  and  so  she  lost  m 
strength  \\hat  lu-r  s\'stem  ^aiiu-d  in  details.  I  here  \\as 
tar  more  wisdom  in  the  ti\e  hooks  of  (acopo  I  lepolo's 
Statuto  than  in  the  mnimu-rable  \(ilumes  of  laws  that 
\\ere  put  together  from  tin-  fifteenth  ceiiturv  to  the 


vi         KARLY    LAWS    AM)    I.A\V-(;iVKRS       159 

eighteenth.  It  may  IK-  asked  whether  1  lepolo's  code 
sufficed  because  the  people-  in  his  time  were  virtuous 
and  law-abiding,  or  whether  virtue  and  the  love  of  law 
declined  as  the  number  of  laws  increased.  1  he  latter 
hypothesis  can  certainly  be  defended. 


I  w 


•      .•x's-«-V?JO;.      '          -'  •'  '     >*M**>K»^  I""*' 

•-' '^/>\^' - J  v  i^i:  •  ^1$!« 

CSJ3;, 
?Mt 
^•s^ft 


• 


VII 


Till-;    FOrRTKKNTII    CKN'ITRY    IN 
VENICE 

I  o  the  ma]onr\  ot  people  flu'  fourteenth  centiirv  in 
the  historv  of  \enice  is  memorable  onl\  tor  t!ie  ^rc-at 
coiispinu-ics  \\hich  rook  jilare  in  that  period,  and  which, 
i-vrn  in  rhe  minds  ot  cultivated  Italians,  seem  to  till  it 
completely,  though  onl\"  two,  or  at  most  three,  are 
recorded,  and  the  action  ot  each  in  turn  was  ot  short 
duration.  I  hese  three  iM'eat  conspiracies  were  those 


vii  FOURTEENTH  CENTURY  IN  VENICE    161 
of  Marino  Faliero,  of  Tiepolo,  who  was  at  the  head  of  a 


vast  movement,  and  the  third  m;iv  IK-  described  as  that 
of  Marino  Bocconio,  whose  history  is  not  vet  known  in  all 


162        r.LKAMNus  FROM  insrom         \n 

irs  he-armgs.  Boceonio,  in  hick  <>t  trustworthy  de-tails, 
h;is  been  crowned  tin-  marn  r  ot  the  aristocraeT  ; 
I  iepolo  has  been  exalted  as  one-  \\ho  uohlv  and 
generously  sacrificed  the  interests  ot  his  casu-  tor  the 
general  good;  as  tor  Pahero,  lie  is  almost  universally 
looked  upon  simply  as  the  jealous  husband  ot  a  vmm^ 
and  beautiful  wife.  1  hanks  to  the  efforts  of  innumer- 
able novelists  and  playwrights,  these-  three  H mi  res 
represent  to  the  average  reader  of  history  a  synthetic 
picture  of  the  whole  century,  and  stand  out  <Moantic, 
dark,  and  blood-stained  against  a  gloomy  background 
ot  barbarism,  imploring  pitv  or  crying  our  tor  \<-nm.-ance 
to  all  future  ages. 

'1  he  most  striking  pictures  are  not  always  the  best 
portraits,  as  wr  all  know,  though  we  are  often  inclined 
to  forget  it.  Most  of  us  at  one  time  or  another  ha\e 
stood  In-fore  a  pamtinsj,  by  Caravaggio  or  (iherardo 
delle  Notti,  in  which  men  arc-  seen  in  the  act  to 
mo\e,  halt  lighted  In  a  Baring  torch,  and  we  ha\e 
felt  a  strange  and  strong  desire  to  know  where  they 
are  supposed  to  be  and  whither  tlu-v  are  supposed 
to  be  mnn^.  ()ur  eyes  sc-airh  the  black  depths  of  the 
picture-  as  it  we  were  peering  out  into  the  darkness  ot 
a  starless  muhr,  \\ith  an  instinctive  wish  to  distinguish 
some  detail  that  may  explain  the  figures  in  the-  tore- 
liround  ;  and,  tailing  to  find  anything,  we  turn  awa\  as 
from  a  \ision  seen  in  a  bad  dream.  \\  e  shall  not 
toroet  the  strong  fe-ature-s,  the  tremendous  muscles,  the- 
nu'sterious  anxious  eves,  and  \\lu-n  \\  e  think  ot  them 
\\  e  shall  still  wonder  where  those  men  were,  m  a  cavern 


vii    FOURTEENTH  CENTURY  IN  VENICE   163 

or  our  ot  doors,  in  the  crvpt  of  a  church  or  in  the  for- 
est, and  whether  they  were  alone  or  were  followed  hy 
a  crowd  in  the  darkness,  \\lio  saw  them  pass?  Who 
heard  their  low  and  anxious  voices  :  I  pon  what 
nameless  errand  were  they  hound  .' 

1  have  often  thought  that  impressions  much  like 
these  are  produced  on  most  minds  hy  the  names 
Bocconio,  I  lepolo,  T  ahero.  ^  et  each  of  them,  m  true 
history,  had  his  companions,  his  friends,  his  enemies; 
and  if  each  stood  alone  as  a  tvpe,  yet  all  were  the 
result  of  their  own  times,  and  every  one  of  the  three 
was  in  himself  the  cause  of  a  separate  train  of  events. 

Hitherto  the  story  of  \  enice  has  heen  that  of  her 
growth;  she  has  risen  from  the  waves  in  the  clear 
hreath  of  the  northern  Adriatic,  at  once  gentle  and 
full  of  life;  she  has  grown  up  into  the  light,  full  ot  a 
sweetness  of  her  own,  hut  burning  with  youthful 
courage,  and  suddenly,  in  the  period  of  which  we  now 
have  to  treat,  she  has  changed  from  a  child  to  a  full- 
OTOWH  woman.  Pursuing,  or  pursued  In,  the  im- 
pression of  her  strong  personality  as  a  h\mg  creature 
rather  than  as  the  capital  city  of  a  great  power  and  tin- 
scene  of  action  in  the  lives  of  great  men,  we  mav  com- 
pare her  to  a  woman  of  divine  heautv,  vet  almost 
tragically  jealous  of  her  own  freedom,  fierce  to  her 
enemies,  dangerous  to  those  who  trust  her,  a  loving 
mother  to  her  children  so  long  as  thcv  art  obedient, 
but.  a  ruthless  and  cruel  queen  towards  her  rebellious 
subjects.  A  woman,  in  short,  possessing  a  sort  of  dual 
nature,  aspiring  to  the  dignity  of  being  feared,  vet 


in4          GLEANINGS    FROM    HISTORY  vn 

mo\ed  In  the-  desire-  ot  Io\c;  so  imuillmi;  to  submit 
to  rlu-  slightest  influence  ot  another  that  she-  would 
willin<dv  despoil  herself  ot  all  her  riches  ami  ot  everv 
possession,  ami  shed  e\  en  the-  last  drop  ot  her  blooel, 
rather  than  torero  the  smallest  shred  ot  IHT  proud 
independence. 

It  is  true-  that  the  figures  ot  the  great  conspirators 
an-  \  er\  prominent  in  the  picture  we  evoke-  ot  those 
times;  vet  he-side  them  stand  ore- at  captains,  law-givers, 
and  artists,  and  the  background  is  rilled  with  a  most 
mte-resting  population  devoted  in  turn  to  labour  and 
pleasure,  to  comine-rce-  and  to  war,  and  Kill  ot  the-  pride 
ot  a  lite-  ot  its  own.  1  he-  <H-rms  ot  corruption  are 
alreadv  manite-st,  but  thev  will  not  ele-ve-lop  until 
a  later  time,  when  the-  beautiful  ladv,  \emce,  less 
voting  indi-e-d,  but  imbued  with  a  (.'harm  more  subtle-, 
descends  to  the-  slow  en|ovnu-nt  of  the-  fruits  ot  her 
\ictoru-s,  ;md  loses  lu-rselt  in  the-  intoxication  ot  a 
pe-rpe-tual  carnival. 

Historically  speaking,  the-  fourteenth  evntun  in 
\  enice  In-Linis  two  or  thre-e  years  he-fore-  I  }OO,  since-  the- 
ve-ar  \H)~  is  separated  from  those-  which  preceded  it  hv 
a  tar  i;re-ate-i'  distance-  than  it  is  from  the  beginning  of 
flu-  Htte-enth  ce-ntur\,  o\\m^  to  the  profound  changes 
broiiLiht  about  in  the  government  and  lite-  ot  the-  e'ltv 
In  rhe  closure  ot  the  (  ire-at  (  ouncil. 

1  he  histor\'  of  the  cenrur\  in  \\lnch  rhe  Republic 
re-ached  the  culmmatm^  point  ot  her  strength  and 
'.  i  vi  lopmeiit  bejiins  ipnte-  natiiralK  with  a  glance  at 
this  memorable  la\\  and  its  consequence.  I  he-  famous 


vii    FOURTEENTH  CENTURY  IN  VENICE  165 

measure  which,  officially  at  least,  changed  the  already 
ancient  commonwealth  of  \  enice  into  a  government 
which,  though  aristocratic,  still  proposed  to  he  re- 
publican, was  not  the  work  ot  a  day  any  more  than  it 
was  the  creation  ot  any  one  doge.  It  was  not  a  revolu- 
tion, but  rather  the  result  ot  a  slow,  inevitable  evolution, 
peaceful  in  character,  ot  which  the  first  beginnings  can 
barely  be  traced,  far  back  in  history,  in  the  struggles  ot 
rival  factions  of  the  aristocracy. 

So  tar  as  factions  are  concerned,  none  but  those  of 
the  nobles  ever  had  any  influence  on  Venetian  historv, 
for  the  parties  that  existed  amongst  the  people  never 
engaged  in  politics,  and  while  thev  bore  one  another 
many  a  traditional  grudge  that  had  its  origin  in  the 
earlv  jealousies  of  the  settlers,  we  never  rind  them 
mixing  in  conspiracies  against  the  government  or 
breaking  out  in  sedition  and  noting.  Even  the  mutual 
hatred  of  Niccolotti  and  Castellam  disappeared  com- 
pletelv  as  soon  as  the  need  of  public  defence  called  out 
the  genuine  patriotism  of  both. 

In  brief,  the  following  is  the  storv  of  the  'Serrata,' 
the  closing  ot  the  Great  Council  tor  the  exclusion  of 
the  people,  a  measure  without  parallel,  except,  perhaps, 
in  the  legislation  of  Rome. 

According  to  a  statute  which  regulated  the  election  and 
the  offices  of  the  (ireat  Council  in  I  172,  and  which  \\as 
perhaps  instituted  in  that  year,  the-  Council 
was    composed    ot    a    variable    number    of 
members,  originally  tour  hundred  and  eighty,  and  never 
more   than    rive    hundred,  who  were   elected    every  year 


ihh          (il.I.  \M\r,S    FROM    HISTORY  vii 

without  ;m\'  distinction  ot  class  from  the  principal 
cm/ens,  :itul  undoubtcdlv,  in  Hn  <M'e-at  m.i]rntv,  from 
tin-  anstociacv. 

1  In-  position  it  occupied  in  tin-  Republic  has,  1 
think,  no  example  elsewhere.  In  one-  shape  or  anothei 
it  had  alwavs  existe-el,  and  there  was  an  anstocracv 
amonost  the  first  fugitive's  from  the  mainland;  from 
that  time  on,  the  nobles  and  the  people,  the  tribunes 
and  the  artisans,  had  [ought  like  comrades  against 
the  barbarians,  as  well  as  against  the  elements  of  nature-. 
Like  shipwrecked  men  of  one  countrv,  speaking  one 
language,  thev  had  been  as  brothers;  the-  noble  families 
had  been  the-  chief  defenders  of  the  new  home,  and  us 
earliest  law-givers,  and  thev  transmitted  to  their 
descendants  a  traditional  influence  which  \\as  rarelv 
misused  in  earlier  times.  1  he-  people-  did  not  hate 
them,  as  the  populace  has  alwavs  hated  the  aristocracy 
in  agricultural  countries;  tor  agriculture,  where  tin- 
poor  work  on  tin-  estates  of  the  rich,  seems  to  degrade 
both  alike,  or  at  least  to  brutahse  them,  whereas  men 
who  rill  their  o\\  n  lands  almost  alwavs  <_i.nm  m 
character  and  independence,  In  \enice,  \\hile  the 
people  looked  up  to  the  nobles  as  their  intellectual  and 
social  betters,  thev  did  not  cease  toi  a  long  time  to 
le^anl  them  as  their  allies  and  helpers. 

I  he  nobles,  therefore,  had  taken  tin-  le-ad  horn  the 
be^mmnL'.,  ar.d  the\'  ke-pt  it  without  dirricultv  and 
almost  \\ithout  opposition  ;  in  politics  the  people 
effaced  thi-msel\'es,  trusting  to  the  ruling  class  to 
maintain  tin-  liberties  of  the  maritime-  state  abroad. 


vii    FOURTEENTH  CENTURY  IN  VENICE   167 

both  in  the  cast  and  the  west,  and  confident  that  the 
commerce  and  art  ot  \  enice  would  continue  to  develop 
under  its  influence.  1  he  nobles  were  ambitious,  it  is 
true,  but  thev  had  nothing  to  ^am  bv  oppressing  the 
people,  tor  thev  were  themselves  the  principal  creators 
ot"  the  public  wealth.  They  dominated  the  people, 


which  is  quite  another  matter;  until  the  fifteenth  cen- 
turv  thev  cannot  fairlv  be  said  to  have  abused  their 
power,  ami  the  privileges  thev  kept  tor  themselves 
involved  the  heaviest  responsibilities.  It  thev  held 
control  ot  the  tribunals,  vet  were  these  as  rcadv  to  trv 
the  nobles,  and  even  the  Dooe  himself,  as  to  indm.-  the 
poorest  fishermen  ot  the  lagoons;  and  though  the 


1 68 


GLEANINGS    FROM    HISTORY 


VII 


Doge  could  onlv  be  a   noble,  his  head  might  tall   under 
the  axe  ot   the  common  executioner,  the   lowest  of   the 


;   . 


low.  1  nhke  the  aristocracies  of  other  countries,  that 
ot"  Venice  never  claimed  tor  itself  exemption  from 
justice. 


vii    FOURTEENTH  CENTURY  IN  VENICE  169 

1  licse  facts,  which  cannot  he  denied  with  truth, 
seem  to  me  to  show  that  the  closure  of  the  Great 
Council  was  not  such  a  violation  of  the  rights  of  man 
as  it  has  often  been  represented  to  be.  Soon  after  the 
middle  of  the  thirteenth  century,  the  nobles  seem  to 
have  judged  the  times  ripe  for  the  great  change, 
and  a  sort  of  preliminary  weeding  of  the  Council 
began. 

In  1277,  apparently  in  order  to  lend  dignity  to  an 
assembly  performing  such  high  duties,  a  measure  was 
passed  which  rigidly  excluded  from  the 

'  Kom.ii.342. 

Council  all  persons  who  were  not  of 
legitimate  birth.  In  1286  the  Council  of  Fort}',  in  order 
to  assure  to  the  nobles  a  constant  and  legal  supremacy, 
proposed  to  limit  eligibility  for  their  own  number  to 
the  members  of  the  Grand  Council,  and  to  those  only 
whose  fathers  and  paternal  grandfathers  had  alreadv  sat 
there.  This  attempt  failed,  and  the  bill  was  rejected, 
principally  owing  to  the  opposition  of  the  Doge, Giovanni 
Dandolo,  who  was  an  honest  man,  free  from  theprejiuhces 
and  passions  of  caste,  and  who  wished  the  aristocracy  to 
maintain  its  position  by  sheer  superiority  of  intelligence 
and  judgment  without  any  legalised  privileges. 

At  that  time,  as  has  been  shown  in  a  separate  chapter, 
the  families  of  Partecipazio,  Candiano,  and  ( )rseolo,  and 
most  of  all  the  'I  lepolo,  had  assumed  the  position  of 

princes  in  the  Republic.      Each  of  them  could 

1  M  •:.  />,x"."v.-,?. 

boastof  several  doges,  and  all  hoped  to  make 

the    dignity    hereditary   for   themselves.      1  he     1  lepolo 

cherished  the  most  ambitious  designs,  and  were  always 


GLEANINGS    FROM    HISTORY 


domo  their  best  to  win  o\er  the  people.  In  12X1;,  on 
the  death  ot  Dandolo,  the  electors  \\ithin  the  palace 
heard  tin-  populace  under  tin-  windous  acclaiming 
[acopo  I  u-polo.  Io  ha\c  submitted  to  rlu-  people's 
dictation  would  then  have  meant  a  step  towards  an 
hereditarv  monarclu",  and  the-  electors  paid  no  attention 
to  the  cries  from  the  street.  Amongst  tin-  candidates 
was  IV-tro  Gradein<M>,  a  man  who,  though  ambi- 
tions,  was  highly  pitted  and  sincerely  devoted  to  Ins 
countrv,  and  had  al\\a\'s  endeavoured  to  miulr  the 
(Ireat  Council  towards  an  ideal  aristocratic  form  ot 
<m\  eminent  which  alone-,  in  his  (Lidginenr,  could  sa\e 
the  State-  trom  a  selfish  monarchv  on  the-  one  hand  and 
a  feeble  democracy  on  the-  other.  I  he  electors  chose 
Pietro  (  irademiM). 

In     1 21/1    In-    hrought    forward    a    measure    \\lnch,    it 
must  he  admitted,  would  ha\e  he-en  an  act  ot  vengeance 


the-  announcement  ot  ( iradenigo's  regular  election  in 
silence  ami  ill-concealed  discontent.  I  he  Doge  now 
proposed  to  reform  the  process  of  election,  as  had 
Keen  contemplated  hv  the  hill  of  12X^1,  hut  at 
the  first  attempt  the  measure  failed,  o\\mn  ro  the 
determined  opposition  ot  the  lu-polo  tamilv  ami 
their  friends,  \\ho  formed  themselves  into  ;i  part\, 
which  the\'  called  conserx  ati\  e.  It  was  hrou<dit  foruard 
ai^ain  in  the  follo\\'ing  vear,  ho\\i-\er.  and  passed  h\  a 
maioiit\  ot  \otes.  It  i-fstncted  the  n^hr  of  (h^ihiht\ 
at  (arh  annual  (lection  to  t  IK  >•>(•  \\  ho  had  sat  in  the-  (  i  re  at 


vii    FOl'RTFFNTH  CFX'ITRY  IN  VENICK   11 


Council  (luring  one-  ot  the-  tour  preceding  years,  and 
it  required  that  they  should  receive  at  least  twelve  votes 
from  the-  Council  of  1'ortv  which  elected  them.  This 
was  a  successful  stroke-,  tor  the  Council  ot  Forty 
consisted  wholly  ot  nobles,  \\ho  would  use-  their  elec- 
tive poucr  altogether  in  accordance  with  (inidenigo's 
intention. 

In  order  not  to  rouse-  the-  opposition  ot  the  people 
In  giving  the  law  an  absolute  form,  it  was  declared  to 
he  only  provisional,  and  to  he  in  force  from  one  Saint 
Michael's  Day  to  the  next,  that  being  the  date  ot  tin- 
election. 

A  vear  passed.  So  great  was  the  prestige  ot  the  aris- 
tocracy and  its  power,  and  so  completely  accustomed 
were  the  people  to  be  guided  bv  it  and  to  be  despoiled 
bv  it  of  their  rights,  that  the  resentment  aroused  bv 
this  so-called  provisional  law  was  not  enough  to  prevent 
its  becoming  a  lasting  one,  though  its  general  form  was 
still  subject  to  possible  variations. 

(irave  dissensions,  however,  appeared  in  the-  caste-  oi 
patricians,  (irademgo  found  himself  opposed  on  the 
one  hand  bv  the  I  lepolo  faction,  on  the-  other  bv  certain 
families  which,  although  descended  fr 


'  •'  •  '',/.,-,. 
the-  ancient  tribunes  of  the  island,  and  con- 
sequently of  most  ancient  and  respected  race-,  were 
excluded  from  the  (ireat  Council,  meivlv  because  tlu-v 
had  not  been  represented  in  it  during  the  last  tour  \  ears. 
It  became  necessary,  there-tori',  to  modify  the-  law  in 
the-  following  manner : 

It   was  decreed   that  all   who   had   sat   m   the  Council 


1/2          GFFAMNGS-   FROM    HISTORY  vn 

themselves,  and  all  who,  though  they  had  not  had 
a  place  tlu-re  themselves,  could  prove  at  least  one 
ancestor  a  member  of  the  Conned  since  1172,  should 
he  eligible  tor  the  Council,  bv  the  vote  of  the  Forty. 
It  is  a  remarkable  tact  that  the  word  'nobles'  is  not 
to  be  found  in  anv  ot  these  decrees;  but  it  was  clearlv 
useless  to  insist  upon  a  mere  word  when  the  whole 
aristocracy,  which  had  proposed  and  passed  the1  law, 
was  to  profit  bv  it.  1  he  nobles  never  lost  sight  ot  a 
possible  danger  to  themselves  in  the  resentment  of  the 
people. 

Fast  of  all,  it  was  decreed  that  those  who  had  never 
themselves  sat  in  the  Council,  nor  had  anv  ancestors 
who  had  been  members,  should  be  considered  as 
'eligible  bv  grace.'  1  his  was  done-  in  order  to  leave  a 
shadow  ot  hope  to  ambitious  men  ot  other  classes,  an 
idea  that  thev  might  some  dav  be  admitted  as  'new 
men'  into  an  assembly  which  was  shutting  its  gates  tor 
ever.  As  a  matter  ot  tact,  in  the  beginning  a  limited 
number  ot  councillors  '  hv  grace'  were  created,  and 
some  were  chosen  tor  their  own  personal  merits,  or  to 
quiet  the  ambition  ot  certain  turbulent  citi/ens.  In 
order  to  In-  admitted  in  this  manner,  it  was  necessary  in 
the  hrst  place  to  recent'  twenty-five  votes  trom  the 
Forty,  and  the  votes  ot  five  out  ot  six  ot  the  Doge's 
counsellors.  A  tew  years  later,  admission  was  made- 
still  more  difficult  hv  requinn<j;  thirty  \oti-s  trom  the 
I'ortv,  and  it  is  likely  that  under  this  law  very  tew 
'new  men  '  were  e\  er  elected.  \  en  ice  was  still  tar  t  rom 
the  davs  when  the  tirst  comer  would  In-  able  to  buy  a 


vii    FOURTEENTH  CENTURY  IN  VENICE  173 

seat  in  the  Great  Council  at  auction,  in  order  that 
the  proceeds  might  help  to  pav  the  interest  on  the 
public  debt.  The  exclusion  of  illegitimate  sons,  which 
was  already  in  force,  was  maintained,  and  it  was  further 
ordained  that  no  one  under  twenty-five  vears  of  age 
should  enter  the  Council.  The  latter  measure,  however, 
was  soon  followed  by  a  palliative  one.  Each  year,  on 
the  fourth  of  December,  the  feast  of  Saint  Barbara,  the 
Doge  placed  in  an  urn  the  names  of  all  young  nobles 
twentv  years  of  age,  who  at  twenty-five  would  have  the 
right  to  a  place  in  the  Council,  and  thirty  of  these  were 
drawn  bv  lot.  and  received  permission  to  be  present  at 
the  assemblies  of  the  Council  from  that  clay,  but  without 
the  right  of  voting;  this  constituted  a  sort  of  novitiate 
in  those  duties  to  which,  at  the  regular  established  age, 
the  voung  men  would  be  called.  I  he  process  of 
admission  was  called  'coming  to  the  Barbarella.' 

It  appears  to  me  that  the  last  word  contains  a  plav 
on  words;  for  it  mav  mean  'the  little  Barbara,'  the 
saint  on  whose  feast  the  lots  were  drawn,  or  it  mav 
mean  the-  down  on  the  chin  of  a  vouth  of  twentv,  'the 
hrtle  beard,'  for  though  an  improperly  formed  diminu- 
tive, it  is  quite  a  possible  one  in  dialect. 

As  may  be  imagined,  the  nobles  showed  the  utmost 
haste  and  anxiety  to  prove  their  rights  before-  the 
'  a\  ogadon,'  or  counsel  to  the  commonwealth,  whose 
dutv  it  was  to  decide  upon  them.  In  some  cases  there 
was  evidence  that  an  ancestor  had  sat  in  tlu-  Council  at 
the  end  of  the  twelfth  centurv,  but  it  might  be  that 
there  were  no  documents  to  prove  it,  and  the  most 


174  GLKAMNGS    FROM    HISTORY  vii 

extraordinary  means  were  resorted  to,  to  persuade-  the 
ludiu-s  of  the  truth  of  the  assertion.  Some-  families,  in 

order  to  prove  that  thev  \\crc  nobles,  which 

•  '  '•  i  "  i  •  •    i       • 

of  course-  was  the  real  object  of  the  inquiry, 

adduced  the  fact  that  they  possessed  great  quantities  of 
arms  in  their  houses.  i  he  number  of  persons  who, 
without  the  slightest  chance  of  proving  their  rights, 
inscribed  their  names  on  the  books  of  the  avogadon, 
beginning  in  1^15,  was  so  great  that  it  was  found 
necessary  to  impose-  a  fine  upon  those  who  had  done 
so  without  any  chance  of  establishing  their  claim,  ami 
all  titles  whatsoever  were  carefully  examined  In-fore 
being  allowed.  It  is  almost  needless  to  sav  that  the 
families  about  whose  right  tin-re  was  no  doubt  pos- 
sible did  the-ir  very  best  to  exclude  all  tin-  re-st. 

As  soon  as  the-  first  list  of  members  by  right,  and 
members  who  were  eligible,  was  made-  our,  it  was 
decre-e-d  that  they  required  to  be-  elected,  if  thev  had 
attained  tin-  a<n-  of  twenty-five  years,  in  orelc-r  to  sir  at 
the-  Council.  It  appe-ars  that  no  matter  \\hat  the 
previse  number  of  the  members  under  this  e'atc-^orv 
might  be-,  a  e'ertam  number  were-  always  elected  from 
amonu;  the-  '  e-h^ible-s,'  a  fact  which  explains  the  e-han^- 
m ij;  number  of  councillors  in  each  year.  1  he-re  is 
reason  to  believe  that  tin-  assembK  had  never  consisted 
of  more  than  ti\e  hundred  members  before  I2i;7,  bur 
that  after  the-  law  passed  in  that  year  it  reached  (  i  ^40) 
the  number  of  twel\  e-  hundred. 

Ir  is  dear  from  all  this  that  the  measure  known  as 
the  Closure  of  rhe  (  Iivar  Council  did  not  e'onsist  so 


vii    FOURTKKXTH  CKXTURY   IX  YFXICF   175 

much  in  any  regular  elections  yearly  as  in  a  close  limi- 
tation of  the  class  of  candidates,  and  the  fact  that  it 
was  necessarv  that  thev  should  he  elected  In  the-  Coun- 
cil of  Fortv;  whereas  m  former  times  they  were  elected 
hv  the  people,  represented  in  their  turn  by  one  or  two 
electors  in  each  of  the  six  regions  of  the  citv,  or  else  bv 
rwo  electors  from  the  regions  on  one  side  of  the  canal, 
and  two  from  the  regions  on  the  other. 

Little  attention  has  been  paid  to  the  law  of  1298, 
which  at  the  time  appeared  to  be  of  secondary  import- 
ance, but  which  had  close  connection  with  the  others 
that  had  been  framed  bv  the  anstocracv.  1  he  law 
of  iiiyS  established  that  no  one  should  belong  to  the 
Fortv  who  had  not  already  sat  in  the  (irand  Council, 
or  whose  father  or  grandfather  had  not  sat  there.  Bv 
this  law  each  assembly  was  stnctlv  dependent  on  the 
other,  and  the  right  to  sit  m  the  one,  like  the  possi- 
hihtv  of  sitting  m  the  other,  became  a  privilege  of  noble 
birth. 

1  he  anstocracv  hail  now  completely  got  the-  upper 
hand,  almost  without  a  struggle,  bv  skill,  persuasion, 
and  tact.  Henceforth  the  history  of  \emce  is  that  of 
the  nobihtv,  who  had  monopolised  the  power,  and,  with 
it,  all  responsibility.  If  \  emce  was  great,  healthv,  and 
vigorous  in  the  fourteenth  cenrurv,  she-  owed  it  to  the 
nobles,  who  still  treated  the  people  generously  and 
kmdlv.  And  later  on,  when  the  people-  allowed  them- 
selves to  be  intoxicated  with  the  amusements  provided 
them  while  their  last  rights  were  trodden  under  toot,  the 
nobles  were  to  blame.  So  thev  were,  too,  in  the  end, 


176          GLKANINViS    FROM    HISTORY  vn 

when  the-  Lion  of  S;unr  Mark  was  torn  down  from  its 
column  in  the  Pia/./.etta  and  broken  upon  a  soil  no 
longer  tree.  I  he  people  were  nor  oppressed  at  any 
rune,  hut  rhev  suffered  what  was  morally  worse,  tor 
thev  were  systematically  hypnotised  into  a  stare  ot 
utter  indifference  to  real  libertv. 

1  he  assemblage  ot  so  main'  nobles  in  the  hall  of  the 
Great  Council  must  have  presented  a  splendid  spectacle. 
It  was  rigullv  required  that  all  should  wear  the  cloak, 
or  toga,  ot  violet  cloth,  with  its  wide  sleeves  and  hood 
lined  with  warm  fur  in  winter  and  with  ermine  in  the 
milder  seasons.  Here  and  there  a  tew  red  mantles 
made  points  ot  colour,  those  ot  the  High  Chancellor 
and  ot  the  avogaclori  ot  the  commonwealth,  though 
the  latter  appear  to  have  worn  only  a  red  stole  over 
the  cloak  ot  violet.  I  here  were  black  cloaks,  too,  and 
thev  marked  the  ecclesiastics  who  belonged  to  the 
Council,  tor  until  i-p^  priests  who  proved  that  thev 
were  nobles  were  eligible  like  the-  other  members  ot 

O 

their  tamilv. 

\\hen  the- Council  was  to  meet,  an  official  called  the 

'  comandatore,'    a    sort   ot    public   crier,   proclaimed   the 

summons  from  a  ti'aiMiient  ot  a  porphvrv  column,  which 

stood    upside   down   on    its   capital    at   tin-   corner  ot   the 

I'la/ya    ot    Saint    Mark    towards    the    ducal    paLce,  and 

another  issued   the   proclamation   from   the 

steps    ot    the    Rialto,    these    being    the    two 

most     frequented     points    of     the-    citv ;     at    the    same 

time    full    notice    was    mveii    of    the-    offices    which  were 

to   IK-   distributed   at   the-  coming  Council   hv   the    Hi<di 


vii   FOrRTKKXTH  CKNTl'RY  IN  VKNICK    177 

Chancellor.     At     the     appointed     hour    the     cavaliers 

appeared  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Saint  Mark's,  spur- 
ring their  comely  mules;  hut  it  was  forbidden  to  cross 
the  Piazza  itself,  except  on  foot,  because  it  was  paved, 
so  that  the  riders  left  their  mules  tied  up  to  the  elder- 


bushes  which  formed  a  thick  growth,  exactlv  on  the 
spot  wher^  now  stands  the  Clock  Tower  at  the  entrance 
to  the  Merceria. 

About  1356  the  public  crier's  office'  was  abolished, 
his  place-  beino;  supplied  In  the-  ringing  of  a  bell  in  the 
tower  of  Saint  Mark,  in  the  evening  after  vespers,  when 
the  Council  was  to  meet  on  the  following  morning,  and 


GLEANINGS   FROM    HISTORY 


VII 


ar    the    hour    or    tierce    (halt-way    In-tween    dawn    and 
noon),  it   it  was  to   meet  in   tin-  altiTiioon. 

</,;///,  cioIi,i.2/5.      .          .  .  .  ...  .  . .       .    . 

At  the  tune1  ot  assembling  in  council  this 
hell  was  ruii^  a<;ain,  and  the  people  nicknamed  it  the 
'trotter,'  hecause  councillors  who  came  late  always 


ia//a  at  a   sharp  trot  he- 


reached  the  entrance  to  the 
tore  the  last  strokes  had  mi 

l>v  this  time  tin-  appearance  of  the  Pia/./a  ;.nd  the 
I'la/./etta  had  been  considerable  niodifiecl.  I  he  'Rivo 
ISarrano,'  \\hich  tornu-rly  ran  through  the  K-ngth  of 
the  square,  had  heen  tilled  up;  the  little  church  of 
Saint  (iemi<mano  had  heen  lU-niohslu-cl,  and  the  iMeat 


i  M*  _'; 

•*1  ».  •-. 

-•?.  I* 

"*  t:C? 


-"    •-»»--"•>      "--?TC-:-f;  :~j  •" '-' 
v    i,.    .,   aTs/TT.-J^   y-j 

"a  •  -  *  if 

« ••••*•««;-  —  •,-.  -.^    • !-,  .  4 . 
' 


vii    FOURTEENTH  CENTURY  IN  VENICE    179 

Campanile-  had  been  huilr.  I  lie  nobles  used  to  meet 
before  the  Conned  upon  the  old  platform,  which  was 
turned  into  a  convenient  place-  for  walking,  and  here 
also  there  was  built  a  covered  loggia,  as  a  protection 
in  bad  weather.  The  first  rime  that  a  young  patrician 
came  to  the-  Council,  either  on  his  election  bv  lot  after 
the  manner  of  the-  '  Barbarc-lla,'  or  because  he  had 
reached  his  twenty-fifth  birthday,  a  little  ceremonv  took 
place  on  the  platform  or  under  the  loggia,  in  which 
he  was  presented  to  his  older  colic-agues,  and  a  sort  of 
en  il  bond  began  here  between  the  man  who 
was  introduced  and  the  person  or  persons 
who  introduced  him,  which  lasted  through  life,  and 
received  the  general  name  of  'sponsorship.'  I  mav 
remind  the  reader  here-  that  all  bonds  of  sponsorship, 
called  generallv  'comparatico'  throughout  Irak",  are 
under  the  special  protection  of  Saint  John  the  Baptist, 
and  even  now  have  an  importance  which  foreigners  rind 
it  hard  to  understand. 

Before  the-  meeting  of  the  Council  the  throng  on  the 
platform  was  swelled  bv  those  who  came  to  solicit  the 
councillors  on  private  matters  oi  their  own,  or  were 
seeking  offices  or  dignities  which  it  lav  with  the  (ircat 
Council  to  he-stow,  such  as  ]udgeships  and  magis- 
tracies. I  he-  'private-  matters'  miidit  include-  anything 
connected  with  taxation,  mone-v  loans,  laws  m  general, 
pardons,  and  even  the-  public  peace  and  national 
alba  ne'es. 

\  e'unous  custom  was  connccte-d  with  such  inter- 
views. I  hose-  who  had  favours  to  ask  of  the-  (ireat 


iS  , 

Council    \\eiv    accustomed    to    slimy    their    respect    by 

takitiii  the   strip   ot   cloth   that   hun<:   down 

from   rlu-ir  shoulder  to  the   ground   on   the 

n<dit  side,  and  t\  in^  it  or  rolling  it  upon  the  arm,  and 

this    action    was    called    'calar    stola,'    and 

appears  to  ha\e  been  the-  equivalent  of  the 

later  custom  In    which  the  inferior  takes  off  his  hat  to 

speak  \\  ith  his  superior. 

It  anv  memher  of  the  (ireat  Council  had  recently 
been  bereaved  of  a  near  relation,  it  was  upon  the 
platform  or  under  the  loggia  that  he  received  the 
condolences  of  his  peers,  he. ing  himself  wrapped  in  a 
hlack  mantle  with  a  tram,  of  which  the  length  dimin- 
ished little-  bv  little  as  his  time  of  mourning  came  to  an 
end,  until  at  last  it  was  onlv  a  short  hlack  cloak;  this 
in  its  turn  was  replaced  In  a  simple  leathern  helt  worn 
over  the  ordinary  clothes  instead  of  the  usual  LMrdle, 
which  was  made  of  \  civet. 

I  his  mectmu;  of  tin-  nohles  in  the  Sipiare  \\as 
naturalK'  the  occasion  tor  carrying  on  all  sorts  of 
intrigues;  ;md  in  \  emce,  as  in  tin-  earlv  da\s  of  ancient 
Riime,  the  relations  of  client  and  patron  plaved  a  large- 
part  in  public  affairs,  and  were  productive  of  no  small 
e\il.  especially  m  the  creation  of  great  numbers  of 
minor  othces  merely  for  tin-  purpose  of  satish  pin-  the 
claims  <>t  dependents. 

So  the  nobles  loitered  and  talked  hctucen  tin- 
Campanile  and  the  two  columns,  one  of  red  and 
the  other  lit  orev  stone,  \\lnch  stand  near  the  (Irand 
('anal.  I  best.-  t\\<>  columns,  \\hich  had  been  brought 


MI   FOURTEENTH  CENTURY  IX  VENICE    181 

to  Venice  from  the  archipelago  in  1127,  under  the  Doge 
Domenico  Michiel,  had  been  set  up  about  fifty  years 
later  bv  the  skill  of  a  certain  Lombard 

i      XT'       1         O  '  \          1  "I  Laz~M-i,  t;/tnia. 

named  iNicola  tSarattiere.  A  chronicler 
tells  in  Venetian  dialect  that  this  engineer  went  to  the 
Signoria,  asked  for  ropes,  timber,  and 
beams,  and  then  set  to  work  with  eight 
men,  and  no  more.  He  drove  down  piles  for  tin- 
foundations,  and  having  completed  these  in  seven  days 
he  set  up  the  columns  on  the  eighth  by  means  of  ropes 
and  capstans.  \\  hen  he  was  asked  what  reward  he 
wished  for  his  work,  he  only  requested  that  so  long 
as  \  emce  should  exist  his  descendants  should  be  en- 
franchised and  be  free  to  keep  gaming-tables  between 
the  two  columns  he  had  set  up ----- contrary  to  the  law 
which  forbade  all  games  of  chance  in  \  emce  —  and  he 
asked  for  a  decent  lodging  for  himself  and  a  small 
stipend.  It  mav  be  noted  that  his  name,  '  Barattiere,' 
means  at  once  a  money-changer  and  a  dishonest 
gambler,  and  it  mav  have  been  given  to  him  as  a 
nickname  after  the  fact.  At  all  events,  his  requests 
were  granted,  and  he  set  up  gaming  establishments, 
with  tables,  between  the  columns  for  his  own  profit.  At 
a  later  time  this  privilege  became  a  monopoly  of  other 
speculators,  and  it  onlv  ceased  to  exist  in  i  52^,  nearly 
three  hundred  and  fifty  vears  later,  when  the  destruction 
of  all  gaming-tables  and  booths,  which  marred  the  beautv 
of  the  Square,  was  commanded  hv  the  government. 

This  story  recalls  the  action  of   Charles   II.,  who,  in 
order  to   reward   certain    Cavaliers   who   had   sacrificed 


iS'2  CI.KANLNdS    FROM    HISTORY  vn 

tlu-ir  lortuiK-s  in  his  infrrrsr,  ami  fiiulin<>  himsrlt  insuf- 


ffp    /j   iW4/.    v   :--f  -  .^6r-  '-.-  -^ 
.    ."jf     '     ir-  (V  v?'i    '  HjB'JI!  "^••~:;: 
•    >r"i  '     Stjif         .i  ^  fJ:Sr~ ,.—.-.;•« 


vii     FOURTEENTH  CENTURY  IN  VKN1CK    183 

rhcin  the  right  to  keep  gambling-tables  between  the 
columns  and  under  the  arches  ot  Covent  Garden. 
1  hese  persons  were  known  as  'lottery  Cavaliers.3 

At  the  end  ot  the  thirteenth  century  the  Lion  of 
Saint  Mark  had  been  placed  upon  one  of  the  two 
columns  in  the  Pia/./etta,  while  upon  the  other  was  set 
up  the  statue  ot  Saint  1  heodore,  the  co-patron  ot  the 
citv;  so  that  the  common  people  ot  \emce,  bv  way  of 
expressing  that  a  man  was  driven  to  the  last  extremitv, 
used  to  sav,  'He  is  between  Mark  and  I  heodore. '  In 
connection  with  the  column  ot  Saint  Mark  it  is  worth 
while  to  quote  the  answer  given  not  manv  vears  ago 
bv  a  gondolier  to  a  ladv  in  regard  to  the  emblem  ot 
Saint  Mark.  All  the-  other  winged  lions  visible  in 
\cmce  hold  an  open  book  under  their  paw,  and  the 
book  is  placed  in  such  a  wav  that  one  mav  read  the 
usual  motto  '  Pax  tibi,  Marce.'  But  though  the  book 
ot  tin-  lion  on  the  column  is  really  open,  it  lies  down, 
so  that  trom  below  it  appears  to  be  shut;  and  the  ladv 
in  question  inquired  ot  her  gondolier  what  the  cause  of 
this  difference  might  be-.  '  It  is  because/  replied  the 
gondolier,  'when  a  man  got  between  these 
columns  his  account  was  closed'!  1  he 
storv  shows  ho\\  \i\ullv  the  people  still  re-member  that 
the  gallows  were  sometimes  erected  there.  It  seems 
strange,  however, that  the  voung  patricians, whilewaiting 
tor  tin-  first  hour  ot  the  Council,  should  have  patronised 
gaming-tables  set  up  so  close  to  the  place oi  public  execu- 
tion, ami  it  is  now  generally  considered  that  executions 
originally  took  place  between  the  red  columns  in  the 


iS4  (iU.ANlNCS    FROM    HISTORY  vn 

hiidi  first  storv  ot  the  ducal  palace,  overlooking  the 
Square,  aiul  that  tin-  oh|cct  ot  transferring  them  to  the 
spot  between  the  columns  ot  rlu1  Pia/./etta  was  to  drive 
people-  auav  trom  gambling  there. 

After  this  brief  glance  at  the  development  of  the 
anstocracv  and  its  lei^al  institurion  as  tin-  ruhn<i  caste, 
it  is  necessar\'  to  consider  the  nature'  ot  that  hodv  which 
la\'  between  it  and  the  working  people,  and  which  in- 
cluded all  well-to-do  \  enetian  citr/ens  in  general. 

1'or  in  \emce,  as  in  most  countries  where  tin-  social 
equilibrium  ot  lar<j.e  numbers  ot  mankind  is  natural  and 
not  artificial,  the  population  had  lono-  separated  sjion- 
taneouslv  into  three  classes.  As  lonw  as  the  work  ot 
oriiamsmii  the-  new  republic  was  nomo  on  the  three 
fraternised,  tor  the  law  granted  no  privilege  to  anv  one, 
and  the  men  \\iio  imposed  their  opinions  and  their  \\ill 
upon  the  rest,  without  anv  sort  ot  violence,  were  without 
doubt  the  most  gifted  members  ot  the  communitv. 
Nothing,  as  Da ru  | list Iv  observes,  assured  to 
the  noblc-s.  up  to  the  end  ot  the  thirteenth 
centurv,  anv  right  not  possessed  hv  all  tin-  other  citr/ens. 
Nevertheless,  as  he  adds,  the  important  ofhci'  ot  Ih<di 
Chancellor  had  been  especialK'  reserved  for  non-nobles 
se\'eral  \'ears  befort  the  closing  of  the  Clreat  C'ouncil, 
u'lnch  sho\\s  that  custom,  if  not  la\v,  accorck-d  <>tlur 
jin\  ilexes  to  the  descendants  of  the  earl\  tribunes. 

It  was  not  10  be  expected  that  after  the  final  closure 
ot  the  (Ireat  Council  all  the  rest  ot  the  people  should 

i  >f  rborouj'bh  leiial 


vii  FOURTEENTH  CENTURY  IN  VENICE    185 

trates  whose  families  throughout  man}'  generations  had 
commanded  the  general  respect,  and  were  hy  no  means 
willing  to  be  thus  forced  down  to  the  level  of  the  fisher- 
men of  the  lagoons.  1  he  nobles  considered  that 

O 

this  high  middle  class  constituted  a  danger  to  them- 
selves by  its  wealth  and  solidarity,  and  special  measures 
were  taken  to  propitiate  it.  As  early  as  1298,  and 
while  the  noble  class  was  acquiring  its  legal  existence, 
we  find  mention  ot  the  citizen  class,  and  of  the  manner 
in  which  it  was  divided.  1  o  belong  to  it  certain 
requisites  became  necessarv;  he  who  aspired  to  its 
privileges  must  have  been  born  in  \  enice  of 

Rom.  Ix.  S. 

parents  properly  married,  and  without  any 
taint  of  criminality;  he  was  to  owe  nothing  to  the 
State,  to  have  been  exact  in  the  duties  of  standing 
guard,  etc.,  and  he  was  obliged  to  prove  that  during 
three  generations  none  of  his  ascendants  had  followed 
anv  mechanical  or  vulgar  trade. 

In  the  same  wav  in  which  the  so-called  '(lolden 
Book'  of  the  anstocracv  was  compiled  little  In  little 
under  the  supervision  of  the  avogadon  of  .!./:,,.<<-//<•/. 
the  commonwealth,  who  were  themselves  " 
chosen  from  the  citi/en  class,  at  least  in  the  beginning, 
so  also  under  their  authority  another  book  was  begun, 
called  the  'Silver  Book,'  in  which  were  inscribed 
the  names  of  citr/ens  'de  jure,'  afterwards  called 
'original  citizens.'  .After  the  closure  of  the  dreat 
Council  the  office  of  High  Chancellor  continued  to  be 
stnctlv  reserved  to  this  class,  as  when  the  office  itself 
had  been  created  some  vears  earlier.  It  was  of  a  nature 


i86          GLKAMXGS    FROM    HISTORY  vn 

to  satistv  am  reasonable  and  justifiable  ambition.  I  he 
High  Chancellor  was  the  head  ot  the  ducal  chancerv; 
he  signed  all  public  acts,  all  nominations 
to  am  important  oHice,  ami  was  present  at 
all  the  most  secret  meetings  ot  the  Councils,  though 
onlv  as  a  witness,  and  never  \\ith  the-  n^hr 
to  \ote.  He  was  elected  In  the  (ii'eat 
Council,  and  took  orHce  with  a  ceremonv  almost 
as  solemn  as  that  accorded  to  the  Doge  himself,  and 
like  the  latter  In-  held  his  position  for  life;  he  received 
a  generous  salary,  and  had  precedence  over  all  nobles, 
both  in  meetings  ami  processions,  both  over  the  nobihn 
of  tin-  (Ireat  Council  and  over  the  sons  and  brothers  of 
the  DOLH-,  and  was  preceded  onlv  bv  the  procurators 
ot  Saint  Mark  and  In  the  six  counsellors  ot  the  Doge. 
He  wore  the  ducal  purple  with  scarlet  stockings,  was 
forbidden  to  dress  in  black  in  public,  and  like  the  I  )ooe 
he  was  privileged  to  \\ear  his  bar  on  all  occasions.  'I  In- 
form ot  address  used  to  tin-  head  ot  the  Republic  was 
'Domino,  Domino1;  that  used  in  addressing  the  Chan- 
cellor was  'Domino,  without  repetition;  whereas  all 
other  patricians  were  addressed  as  'Messer,  tin-  usual 
prefix  to  the  names  of  knights  throughout  Iralv. 

\\hen  the  Hiidi  Chancelloi  died  his  tmn-ral  took 
place  in  Saint  Mark's  \\ith  a  pomp  etjual  to  that  ac- 
corded to  a  dead  done. 

\  erv  valuable  prnileges  were  attached  to  the  condi- 
tion ot  a  citi/eii  '  de  |iiie  ;  all  chancellors  were  taken 
from  those  included  m  tin  "Silver  Book,  so  that  in  tin- 
course  of  time,  in  the  fourteenth  centurv,  .1  special 


MI   FOURTEENTH  CENTURY  IN  VENICE    187 

course  of  studv  was  prescribed  for  young  men  destined 
for    that    career;     and    those    who    embraced    it    were 


hequently  sent  to  the-  smaller  courts  of  Kurope  as 
'ministers  resident,'  but  not  as  ambassadors,  and  thcv 
could  aspire  to  the  highest  commands  in  the  armv. 


iss       (;IT;\MNC;S  FROM  HISTORY        vn 

!•  rom  all  this  it  is  clear  that  flu-  position  of  the 
'original  cm/en'  class  in  \enice  had  a  strong  resem- 
hlancc  to  that  of  the  '  magistrate'  class  in  I  ranee,  tor 
instance;  and  on  the  whole  it  had  enough  privileges 
to  ensure  its  not  being  hostile  to  the  nobihtv. 

1  he  art  ot  glass-making  contributed  in  such  a  degree 
to  the  wealth  of  \  enice  that  glass-makers  were  regarded 
as  benefactors  of  the  State,  and  all  the  glass-makers  of 
Murano  were  inscribed  from  their  birth  in  the-  class  of 
citi/ens  '  de  jure.'  Another  very  wise  measure  of  the 
\  enetian  government  with  regard  to  this  intermediate 
class  between  the  anstocracv  and  the  people  was  the 
concession  of  its  privileges  to  foreign  persons  of  respect- 
able origin  established  in  \  emce.  It  was  onlv  in  the 
middle  of  the  fourteenth  ccnturv  that  citi/.enship  '  by 
grace'  was  regularly  admitted,  and  it  was  of  two  kinds: 
the  one-  '  de  intus,"  and  the  other  '  de  intus  et  de  extra.' 
I  he  first  conferred  onlv  a  certain  number  of  privileges, 
as  that  of  engaging  in  commerce,  and  of  holding  some 
office  of  secondary  importance  in  the  public  adminis- 
tration; the  second  conferred  the  full  privileges  eii]oved 
hv  the  cm/ens  '  de  |iire,'  including  those  of  sending 
vessels  to  sea  under  the  Ha<^  of  Saint  Mark,  and  of 
carrviiin  on  business  in  the  citu-s  and  ports  \\here 
\cnetian  comnu-rce  was  established,  with  the-  full  rights 
ot  a  \  enetian. 

.Although  it  was  onlv  in  i-j-^o  rbat  the  la\\  regularised 
tlie  admission  to  eitr/.enship,  a  number  of  admissions 
took  place  before  the  time  of  the  foundation  of  the 
caste. 


vii    FOURTEENTH  CENTURY   IN  VENICE  189 

1  lu-  miserable  conditions  ot  navigation  in  the 
fourteenth  centurv,  and  the  depredations  ot  pirates, 
caused  many  to  request  the  privilege  of  navigating 
under  the  protection  of  the  Venetian  Republic.  Those 
who  asked  this  were  generally  noble  and  rich  persons. 
For  instance,  in  1  301  we  rind  the  favour  asked  bv  the 
Scrovegni  of  Padua,  by  A/./.one,  Marquis  of  Este  and 
Ancona,  in  I  304  bv  the  lords  of  Camino,  mentioned 
bv  Dante,  by  Ludovico  Gonzaga,  lord  of  Mantua,  and 
manv  others.  \  emce  not  infrequently  offered  the  title 
of  citi/en,  with  all  rights  belonging  to  it,  to  persons 
who  had  exhibited  special  marks  of  talent  in  other 
parts  of  Italy;  it  was  offered  to  Messer  Ravagmno,  a 
student  of  physical  science  in  Helluno,  and  to  Petrarch. 
It  was  frequently  given  to  foreigners  who  had  lived  as 
long  as  twenty-five  years  in  the  citv,  and  to  others  who 
had  voluntarily  submitted  during  a  certain  number  of 
vears  to  standing  guard,  paving  taxes,  and  the  like; 
and  further,  to  those  who,  having  married  \  enetian 
women  ot  the  citi/en  class,  desired  to  fix  their  residence 
in  the  island  ot  Rialto.  Among  the  foreigners  who 
were  thus  generally  adopted,  some  ot  the  most  interest- 
ing in  the  fourteenth  centurv  were  the  inhabitants  of 
Lucca,  who  between  1310  and  134.0  fled  .i/,/w,v///.  r//. 
before  the  tyranny  of  CastruccioCastracane. 
I  hese  were  about  thirtv  families,  almost  all  of  which  had 
been  in  their  own  countrv  spinners  and  weavers  of  silk, 
and  thev  had  brought  a  numerous  retinue  ot  weavers  ami 
spinners  with  them.  I  he-  \  enetians  at  once-  understood 
the  advantage  to  be  derived  from  this  immigration  of  an 


ig  (II. l;.  \\I\CS    I- ROM    HISTORY  MI 

iiulustrious  people.  I  mil  rlu-n  rlu-  richest  stuffs  had 
been  imported  from  the  Last,  but  from  this  tiuu-  for- 
ward \  emce  began  to  develop  a  new  industn  .  I  lu1  fugi- 
tive families  were  received  not  onlv  with  courtesv,  but 
with  something  like  enthusiasm.  I  he  Senate  assigned 
them  a  quarter  in  the  (/alle  della  Bissa.  between  the 
s(|uare  ot  the  Rialto  and  the  church  ot  Saint  John 
Chrvsostom,  allowing  thc-ni  to  govern  themselves  \\ith 
their  o\\  n  magistrates,  on  condition  that  tlu-\  should 
teach  their  art  to  the-  \  enetians.  I  he  same  courtc-sies 
\\i-re  extended  in  the  cast.-  ot  (ierman  and  Armenian 
colonies.  I  he-  race-  ot  \enetian  eiti/ens  in  this  \\a\' 
received  a  new  element,  with  new  prospects  ot  hie  and 
industry,  bv  the  introduction  ot  the-  lu-st  element  that 
could  possibly  ha\ c  come  to  \  emce  trom  \\  ithout.  1  he 
jc-ws,  ho\\'e\'er,  attempted  in  vain  at  the  satin-  time  to 

,..  ,  ,  obtain  tin-  same  liberty  ot  existence  in 

\  emce.  After  bcmii  bareh  toK-:~ated 
durinii  htt\'  \cars,  and  kept  under  the  closest  super- 
\ision,  thev  \\c-rc-  at  the  end  ot  the  fourteenth  ci-ntur\' 
ignonimiouslv  expelled  from  the  cit\  ,  ami  obliged  to 
keep  within  the  confines  ot  Mestre.  I  ha\e  not  been 
able  to  discover  the  date  at  which  they  were  a^am 
allowed  to  reside  \\ithm  the  city  in  the  quarter  which  is 
st  ill  pi  unted  <>ur  as  thei rs. 

A  singular  circumstance,  already  noticed  in  passing, 
presents  itseit  in  connection  \\ith  all  the  conspiracies 
of  the  fourteenth  century.  I  he  people  coiitmuallv 
sided  \\ith  tin-  nobles  who  had  deprived  them  oi 
their  po\\er.  and  rhe\  outnumbered  them  and  \\ere 


vii         CASTKLLAM    AND    MCCOLOTTI        191 

superior  to  them  in  strength  and  moral  force.  I  hev 
ne\er  l(.-nt  anv  important  help  to  anv  one-  who  attempted 
to  rouse  rebellion  against  the  existing  civil  order.  It 
can  hardlv  he  supposed  that  this  \va.s  the  result  of  in- 
dolence, or  of  a  lack  ot  patriotism,  since  the  \  enetians 
were  naturally  verv  proud  and  extremely  energetic. 
I  hev  seem  to  have  considered  themselves  as  hound 
to  the  anstocracv  hv  the  bond  ot  gratitude,  ot  common 
memories,  and  ot  common  hopes;  and  while  thev  led  an 
existence  ot  generous  comtorr  and  ease,  it  satisfied  them 
to  be  joint  possessors  ot  a  countrv  which  had  grown 
glorious  m  Kurope.  J  hey  looked  upon  the  \  enetian 
nohihtv  as  the  first  in  the  world,  and  Molmenti  savs, 
with  truth,  that  the  surnames  ot  certain  great  \  enetian 
families  not  vet  extinct  existed  betore  the  names  ot" 
even  reigning  families  were  known  in  the  rest  ot 
Kurope.  I  ntil  quite  modern  times,  the  'people'  very 
rarelv  gave  anv  trouble  unless  thev  were  hungry. 

It  has  already  been  noticed  here  that  in  the  other 
Italian  republics  the  great  houses  had  nothing  in  com- 
mon with  the  people  thev  ruled  neither 

.  .     .  ,       .  '  i-    •  •  -  $weJ<>. 

their  origin,  nor  their  traditional  points  of 
view,  nor  even  as  a  rule  their  interests;  and  more  than 
once  thev  showed  themselves  reach' to  sell  their  counrrv 
to  the  highest  bidder,  regarding  it  as  their  adoptive 
rather  than  their  real  home,  and  the  population  as 
property  that  went  with  the  fields. 

But  the  nobles  ot  \  emce  were  true  \  enetians,  and 
their  ancestors  had  led  those  ot  their  own  people.  In- 
sheer  superiority,  betore  \  emce  had  been  founded;  and 


i92  GLEANINGS    FROM    HISTORY  vn 

rlu-  u;o\  eminent  ot  the  islands  had  in  reality  been 
always  aristocratic.  1  luj  people-  had  reallv  never  had 
much  to  sav  beyond  confirming  b\'  a  sort  ot  acclamation 
tin-  result  ot  elections  held  by  the  nobles.  I  he  m- 
dividual  elected  was  sure  to  be  one  ot  the  latter,  chosc-n 
tor  his  courage  in  war,  or  tor  his  pious  generosity  in 
founding  a  church  or  a  monastery  in  time  ot  peace. 

1  he  Serrata  only  made  a  law  ot  a  practice  which 
had  existed  a  long  time;  and  this  sufficiently  explains 
why  the  people  did  not  rebel  against  it,  accepting  laws 
which  only  affected  formalities,  without  in  any  way 
threatening  the  true  sources  ot  the-  Republic's  vitality. 
1  he  nobles  legally  monopolised  a  power  which  they 
had  always  succeeded  in  reserving  tor  themselves;  but 
tin-  State-  did  not  monopolise-  commerce,  nor  industry, 
except  as  regards  the  salt  trade-  and  shipbuilding,  and 
in  these  occupations  the  workmen  received  such  com- 
pensation that  many  ot  them  *>rew  rich. 

Furthermore,  the  government  supported  all  persons 
not  able  to  work  tor  themselves.  Men  and  women  who 
had  reached  an  age  at  which  heavy  manual  labour  was 
no  longer  possible-,  but  who  were  not  helpless  enough 
to  do  nothing,  were  licensed  to  sell  vegetables  and  tnnt 
in  the  public  squares;  but  the-  State-  and  the  guilds 
supported  regular  asylums  tor  the  aged  and  infirm,  for 
cnpples,  tor  widows,  and  tor  old  sailors.  K\erv  one 
teh  that  the-  State-  could  be-  relu-el  upon,  and  no  one 
feared  t«  die  ot  hunger. 

I  he  closing  ot  the  (Ireat  Council  mijfht  atlect  the 
ambitious  designs  ot  a  tew  me-n  who  had  recently  "town 


•*. 


e,if>f.p& 

^m 
i'-*ir»! 


vi     iW  -;:T^^^^^S^»'^S^^?ir5* 

C1 


VOL.   I.  — 0 


193 


ig4          (il.KAMNCiS    FROM     HISTORY  vn 

rich,  and  whose  fathers  had  never  sat  there,  hur  ir  could 
m>r  possibly  ha\e  anv  immediate  effect  on  the  lives  of 
fishermen,  seamen,  salt-refiners,  shipbuilders,  and  am 
sans  to  none  ot  whom  it  had  ever  occurred  that  tin-  Conn 
cil  was  meant  tor  them.  \\  hen  a  conspirator  made  ;> 
pretext  ot  vindicating  the  rights  ot  the  people,  the  peo- 
ple laughed  at  him,  and  the  motive  which  in  all  othei 
countries  lias  been  the  mamstav  ot  revolutionaries  was 
found  not  to  exist.  1  he  people  ot  \emce  were,  on  the 
whole,  honest,  contented,  and  happy,  and  both  laws 
and  traditions  combined  to  preserve  them  in  that  envi- 
able state;  and  the  government  itselt  provided  wise 
alternations  ot  work  and  rest,  which  Breath'  contributed 
to  the  same  end.  1'or  everv  \enetian,  whatever  his 
condition  might  be.  was  expected  to  be  a  good  sailor 
and  a  good  soldier,  and  the  regattas,  public  archerv 
matches,  and  gymnastic  exercises,  which  I  shall  presently 
describe,  helped  to  make  men  both.  In  I  ^'2  these  com- 
petitions were  made  obligatory  tor  all  youths  who  had 
reached  their  eighteenth  birthday.  But  another  matter 
must  be  briefly  explained  before  proceeding  further. 

In  the  story  of  the  \enetian  conspiracies  no  mention 
is  ever  found  ot  the  two  famous  factions,  the  Castellani 
and  the  Nieeolotti,  although  the  most  bitter  hatred  was 
alive  between  them  at  the  very  time  \\hen  1  u-polo 
was  conspiring  against  (Jrademgo.  Ir  is  interesting  to 
follow  the  rough  and  strong  threads  of  those  famous 
popular  factions  through  the  woof  and  web  of  \  enetian 
history;  and  it  is  curious  to  rind  oneself  convinced  that 
thev  never  did  the  shortest  harm  to  the  government 


vii       CASTELLAXI   AND   XICCOLOTTI        195 

of  the  Republic,  for  the  reason  that  both  ot  them  loved 
their  countrv  sincerely. 


I  he    reader    mav   remember    that    in    the    davs    ot 
Paulus  Anatestus,  the  first  Doge  elected  hv  the  popular 


10  (;!.!•;  \NINCS    FROM    HISTORY'  vn 

assemblv,  ;i  violent  dispute  arose  between  the  in- 
habitants ot  the  islands  ot  Heraelea  and  Jesolo,  which 
turned  into  a  pitched  battle  in  the  woods  ot  Kquiho,  so 

that  tin-  stream  which  became  the  Canal  Orfano  was 
red  with  blood. 

1  he  tornu-r  combatants,  finding  themselves  shut  up 
\\irlnn  the  walls  of  one  citv,  cherished  their  ancient 
Drudges  from  generation  to  generation,  and  for  more 
than  rive  hundred  vears  thcv  gave  vent  to  their  hatred 
as  best  thev  could,  keeping  themselves  divided,  first  as 
separate  parties,  then  as  separate  wards,  and  finally  both 
in  wards  and  districts,  according  to  the  later  divisions 
of  the  citv;  anil  fighting  treclv  with  one  another  when- 
ever  the  public  games  brought  them  into  conflict,  under 
the-  names  of  Castellan]  and  Cannaruoh,  taken  from  the 
parts  of  \  emce  thev  inhabited  the  one  in  the  three 
districts  of  Castello,  Saint  Mark,  and  Dorsoduro,  tin- 
other  in  those  of  Santa  Croce,  San  Paolo,  and  Canar- 
n-L'.LMo  at  tin-  other  end  of  the  citv.  1  hev  had  con- 
tinued then'  separate  existence  about  three  hundred 
vears  without  seriously  disturbing  the  public  peace, 
ne\er  intermarrvm<;,  never  even  entering  the  cathedral 
In  the  same  door.  Hut  in  the  vear  I  -JO"  a  cc-rtam 

Ramberto    Polo    was    the    bishop    of    Castello,    and    the 

i 

bishop  of  Castello  uas  ex  ofhcio  the  bishop  of  \emce, 
and  depended  hom  the  patriarch  of  (  irado.  Now  this 
Ramberto  attempted  to  exact  certain  tithes  \\hieh  his 
predecessor  had  considered  it  nidit  to  renounce-.  l-i\e 
districts  of  \  emce,  and  amon<j;  them  that  of  Saint  Nico- 
las, refuse  to  pav  these  tithes.  1  he  bishop  insisted,  and 


vii        CASTKLLAM    AM)    XICCOLOTTI        197 

in   spire  of  the  threats  of   the-   people,   who   had   <nown 


riotous,    he    determined    to    visit    the    chmvh    of'   Saint 
Nicolas,   situated    in    that   quarter,    and   to    »M>   on    foot. 


lu<S 


(JLKAXIXCiS    FROM    HISTORY 


Ar  rhe  rum  of  rhe  street,  bein^  accompanied  onlv  h\'  a 
few  persons,  lu-  was  attacked  and  cruellv  pur  to  death. 
I  hat  parr  hears  to  this  clay  the  name  of  '  Malcantone,' 
the-  'K\il  Corner."  I  hose  of  the  Castellam  who 
were  lu-ld  responsible  for  this  murder  \\riv  promprK 


excommunicated;  and  the  others,  who  had  submitted 
to  the  bishop,  refused  to  hold  anv  communication  with 
them,  or  to  ha\e  am  intcresr  in  common  with  them, 
c\rn  after  the  remo\al  of  the  interdict.  I  he  con- 
sequence \\'as  that,  b\  \\a\  of  spire,  rhev  no\\  joined  the 
partv  of  rhe  Cannariioli,  thus  forming  a  mmierous 
faction,  \\hich  from  rhat  nine  forth  \\as  called  rhar  of 


vii        CASTELLANI    AM)    MCCOLOTTI        199 

the  'Xiccolotti,'  and  maintained  as  us  device  the  black 
banner  and   costume   ot   the   Cannaruoli,   whereas   the 


faction  ot  the  Castellan]  kept  the  red.  I  lie  murderers 
repented  and  obtained  pardon,  but  the  new  hatred, 
which  had  ^ro\\  n  upon  the  old  ^rud^e,  was  relentless. 


200          r.LKANINGS    FROM    HISTORY  vn 

I  p  ro  this  tiMH-  the  custom  of  fighting  onlv  with  reed- 
canes  had  been  maintained  In  both  sides;  hut  having 
heard  of  flu-  celebrated  pugilistic  encounters  which  were 
practised  at  Siena,  thev  now  determined  to  introduce  a 
MHthieiH,  custom  which  ottered  such  excellent  oppor- 
tunities tor  righting.  From  September  to 
Christmas  regular  encounters  took  place  everv  Sundav 
upon  the  bridges,  mostly  built  without  parapets,  where  the 
two  factions  met,  each  endeavouring  to  knock  and  throw 
as  main  of  their  adversaries  as  possible  into  the-  canal. 

I  he  bridge  which  was  preferred  tor  this  form  of  exer- 
cise was  that  of  Saint  Barnabas,  which  soon  got  tin- 
name  of  '  Ponte  del  Pugm,'  the  '  Bridge  of  Fisticuffs.' 
A  less  dangerous  form  of  competition  was  also  practised 
bv  the  factions,  under  the-  name  of  '1'or/c  d'  Frcole,' 
hterallv  the  'Strength  of  Hercules.'  A  platform  was 
erected  upon  emptv  hogsheads,  it  the  game  was  to  be 
played  on  land;  or  on  [Hints,  it  it  was  to  In-  tried  on 
the  canal,  as  more  usually  happened;  and  upon  this 
foundation  the  men  built  themselves  up  into  a  sort  of 
human  pyramid.  1  he  base  was  formed  bv  a  number  of 
individuals  standing  close  together,  and  linking  them- 
selves still  more  firmly  bv  means  of  li<dit  ]oists  which 
thev  held  upon  their  .shoulders;  on  these  joists  other 
men  stood,  and  others  a^ain  abo\e  them,  until  the 
pvramul  came  to  its  point  in  a  small  bov  at  the  top. 

I  he  pn/e  belonged  to  that  faction  which  could 
set  up  the  highest  pyramid  in  this  wav,  and  keep 
pertectlv  steadv  while  tin-  unenviable  httk-  bov  at  the 
apex  performed  acrobatic  teats.  1  his  lad  received  the 


vii        CASTELLAN!    AM)    MCCOLOTH       201 

name   of  the   'crest,'    as    it    the  whole    were    a    coat    of 
arms. 

1  he  popular  songs  of-  that  rime  exhibit  the  deep 
hatred  that  smouldered  between  these  divisions  of  the 
people;  and  thev  have  come  down  through  the  centuries 
to  the  \  emce  of  to-day,  with  such  little-  changes  of 
speech  as  give  new  lite  to  a  thought  without  changing 
its  substance. 

1  he-  Castellam  and  Xiccolotti,  being  constantly  op- 
posed to  each  other,  systematically  abused 
each   other   in    verse   during   the   davs   that 
preceded  the  encounters.      Here  is  one  from  the  side  of 
the  Xiccolotti,  tor  instance: 

0  thou  great  Devil,  Lord  of  Hell  ! 
Grant  me  this  I  ask  ot  dice. 

1  recommend  to  dice  the  Xiccolotti  ! 

j  prav  thee  currv  all  the  L'a.-tcllani  off  :o  hell  ! 
(iive  the  winning  Hag  to  the  Xiccolotti. 

1  he  following  is  a  Hue  example  of  partv  pride:  - 

V^  hen  a  Xiccolotto  i>  horn,  a  god  i-  horn  ! 

Y\  hen  a  Castcllano  i-  horn,  a  hrigand  i>  horn  ! 

Y\  hen  a  Xiccolotto  i-  horn,  a  count  is  horn  ! 

When  a  L'a-tellano  i.-  horn,  he  turns  out  a  gallows-builder! 

And   here   is   another: 

"\\  e  are  the  Xiccolotti,   that  is  enough  ! 

V*.  c  will  march  with  the  hlack  .-cart',  and    with    the  flower   in   our   ha*  ; 
and  there  are  knife-wounds  tor  die  pig-  of  Ca-tellani  ! 

On  the-  other  hand,  the  Castellam  sanir  as  follows: 


202          (JLFANIMiS    FROM    HISTORY  vn 

1  he   nuicl   is  that  ot   rhc  lagoons,  the   Niccolotn   being 
fishermen. 

1  n  spite  ot  this  constant  exchange  of  amenities,  anil 
in  spite  of  their  love  ot  fighting  each  other,  neither 
Boecomo  nor  1  lepolo  nor  Fallen)  ever  not  am  ad- 
\antaoe  from  the  popular  factions.  [  can  recall  no 
other  case  nor  similar  instance  in  history.  I  hev  ahuseil 
each  other,  hut  thev  all  felt  that  thev  were  sons  ot  Saint 
Mark,  a  sentiment  which  strongly  appears  in  another 
sonti  ot  more  generous  type  which  \vas  sung  In'  the  two 
factions  together  on  occasions  of  common  peril: 

.Arc  \vc  not  ail  of  one  nation  : 
Son.-  ot  Sain:   Mark,  aiul  <>f  hi-  state: 
Ma\    (iod  prc.icrvi:  it,  am;  make  it  grow, 
Fur  all  '.lie  good  \vc  ha\c  \vc  get  :n>m   I  Inn  ! 

1  he    Niccolotti    hail    a    species   of    constitution;     thev 

hail  special  customs  of  their  own,  ami  a   heail  \\lio  was 

officially   called    their   'gastaklo,     hut    \\  ho 

h\"    an    old    tradition    hore    the    title    of    the 

'fisherman's   Doge';    and   who  on   all   puhhc  occasions 

arra\'ed  himself  in  red  like  the  lli<di 
' '  <•"•.'  '  '•'. 

Chancellor,  with  wide  skirts  lined  with  fur 

in  the  \\inter,  and.  like  the  real  l)oo-e,  \\ore  red  stockings 

and    shoes    of    red    morocco.      lie    held    so 

• 

much  to  the  riidu  <  t  wearing  these  red  hose 
that  he  ne\er  appeared  \\irhoiit  them,  e\en  in  ordinary 
life,  and  when  fishing  in  his  boat. 

l.ivtle  h\  little  this  chief  of  the  people  obtained  the 
noht  to  follow  the  Doge  to  the  'I'. spousal  of  the  Sea' 
in  a  beautifully  decorated  boat  (owed  In  the  I  Jucentaur ; 


vii        CASTELLANI   AND   NICCOLOTTI       203 
he  was  granted  the  privilege  of  dining  with  the  Doge 


on  solemn  occasions  of  the  year,  ;nid   he  received  the 


2o4          GLEANINGS    FROM    HISTORY  vii 

more  material  benefits  ot  levying  a  dutv  on  the  fishing- 
hoars  of  his  district,  and  of  keeping  two  counters  tor 
selling  his  fish,  one  at  Saint  Mark's  and  rhe  other  at 
Rialto;  tor  all  rhe  Xiceolotti  were  fishermen  In  pro- 
fession, ami  thev  were  associated  together  In  their 
common  interests  like-  members  ot  one  numerous 
tamilv.  1  hese  fishermen  elected  their  head  bv  a 
complicated  svstem,  in  a  solemn  assembly  held  in  the 
church  ot  Saint  Nicolas  ot  the  Mendicoli,  in  rhe  presence 
ot  their  parish  priest  and  ot  the  real  Dole's  doorkeeper, 
\\ho  acred  as  ducal  ambassador,  and  regularlv  presided 
over  these  assemblies  in  rhe  name  ot  the  so\erei<m,  in 
order  to  pur  down  anv  disturbance  which  mi^hr  arise 
our  ot  differences  ot  opinion  between  rhe  voters.  At  a 
later  rime,  instead  ot  the-  porter,  rhe  I)O<H-  sent  one-  ot 
rhe  secretaries  ot  tin-  Senate  tor  this  purpose.  After 
the-  election  was  decided  rhe  Doge  s  representafix  c  stood 
torrh,  earning  rhe  standard  ot  rhe  Niccolotti,  and  the 
new  'gastaldo'  knelt  down  before  him,  and  received  the 
rla<i  with  rhe  following  words  ot  imesnture:  '1  confide 
to  \ou  this  standard  in  the  name  ot  rhe  Most  Serene 
I'rmce,  m  token  that  vou  are  head  and  chief  of  the 
people  ot  Saint  \icolas.  Saint  Raphael,  ere.' 

'I  he  be!l>  of  rhe  church  were  rhen  nmii  our;  and 
mi  the  following  dav,  or  within  r\\o  or  three  da\s  at 
rhe  lati-st,  rhe  eK-cred  man,  accompanied  In  rhe  parish 
priests,  and  preceded  In  drums,  trumpets,  and  one 
halberdier,  \\lio  carried  rhe  standard  with  rhe  imai!,e  of 
Saint  Nicolas,  \\(iir  t<>  presenr  himself  ro  rhe  Doge,  in 
nrder  to  rc'Cene  contirmarion  of  hi>  office.  I  In  Doge 


WHEN    THE    FISHING    BOATS    ARE    IN 


vii        CASTELLANI   AND   NICCOLOTTI       205 

received  him  in  one  of  the  great  halls,  and  exhorted 
him  to  he  'a  good  father  to  that  familv  (of  the 
Niccolotti),  and  to  he  careful  of  the  public  dignity'; 
assuring  him  that  if  he  did  so  the  Doge  himself  would 
constantly  he  his  protector,  and  assist  him  on  everv 
occasion.  1  hen  the  head  of  the  fishermen  came-  near  to 
the  Doge,  and  knelt  down  hetore  him  and  kissed  his 
hand  and  the  horder  of  his  mantle. 

The  chronicles  are  inclined  to  explain  the  conflicts 
hetween  the  two  factions  as  the  result  of  exaggerated 
rivalry  in  everything  resembling  puhlic  games.  J  he- 
latter  were  verv  common,  as  the  government  took  everv 
occasion  to  provide  amusements  for  the  people;  and  as 
Si<mor  Molmenti  |ustlv  says, 'the  extreme  frequency  of 
popular  festivals  in  \  emce  might  seem  surprising,  if  one 
did  not  take  into  consideration  the-  enormous  energy 
continually  expended  in  business  and  work,  which 
brought  with  it  the  necessity  of  frequent  interruptions 
and  amusements,'  After  all,  there  was  a  great  deal 
of  hard  work  connected  with  the  \  enetian  manner  of 
conducting  such  diversions.  As  early  as  the  beginning 
of  the  fourteenth  century,  there  were  rowing  matches  of 
small  boats  and  skiffs  on  all  important  occasions,  and, 
moreover,  races  for  vessels  of  fifty  oars.  1  hese  hoars 
\\ere  a  species  of  outrigger  canoes,  each  capable  of  carry- 
ing hftv  rowers,  \\  ho  stood  to  their  oars.  Similar  boats, 
it  they  may  he  dignified  bv  that  name,  were  rowed  hv  the 
Castellam  and  the  Niccolotti,  all  wearing  their  red  and 
black  costumes  or  badges,  and  their  emulation  was  sho\\  n 
as  much  in  the  manner  of  adorning  their  craft  as  in  the 


GLEANINGS    FROM    HISTORY  vn 

race  itself.  I  hese  rowing  matches  became'  celebrated 
throughout  the  world,  and  hirst  received  the  name  of 
'regatta.'  1  he  government  encouraged  them  as  being 

Mutindii,  useful  for  a  people  that  depended  chiefly 
upon  navigation  tor  its  livelihood,  and 
offered  large  pn/es  to  the  winners.  1  he-  first  pn/.e 
was  a  red  purse  full  ot  gold  ;  the  second  purse  was  green 
and  rilled  with  silver;  the  third  blue,  containing  small 
change;  the  fourth  was  empty,  and  of  a  yellow  colour, 
and  the  figure  of  a  little  pig  was  embroidered  upon  it, 
which  denoted  that  the  winner  was  to  receive  the  live 
animal  for  his  share. 

I  he  practice-  of  shooting  at  the  mark  was  also  very 
popular  in  \  enice,  and  as  usual  the  go\  eminent  managed 
to  derive  advantage  from  it.  All  men  were  obh<H-d  to 
take  part  in  it  after  the  age  of  eighteen,  nobles,  citr/ens, 
and  plebeians;  and  during  the  competition,  a  fact  not 
overlooked  by  the  wise  administrators  of  the  Republic-, 
the  young  fisherman  was  in  all  respects  the  equal  of 
the  son  or  nephew  of  the  Doge  himself,  and  if  he  won 
a  pn/.e  over  him  was  practically  his  superior.  I  he 
\\eapon  most  commonly  used  in  those  times  was  a 
cross-bow,  \\hu-h  was  made  entirely  of  walnut  until 
i  ^2,  and  after  that  was  constructed  of  wood  and  steel. 
It  wis  s<>  cleverly  made,  \\  e  arc-  told,  that  eiidit  bolts 
could  be  shot  from  it  in  quick  succession;  ibis  being 
accomplished  in  some  wav  not  clearly  explained,  In 
means  of  a  wheel  \\iih  ei<du  co^s. 

l>o\\s  and  ano\\s  \\riv  also    used    for  shooting  at  the 
mark,  the-  arrows  being  made  in  a  place  which  received, 


CLOUDS    OF    SUNSET 


MI        CASTELLANI   AND   NICCOLOTTI       20; 

and  still  retains, the  name  of  the 'arrow  manufactory, 'the 
Frezzeria.  1  hey  were  of  pine  or  poplar,  about  thirty 
inches  long,  thicker  at  the  point  than  at  the  butt,  and 
provided  with  three  feathers,  like  most  of  the  arrows 
used  in  the  Middle  Ages. 

(ireat  magnificence  was  shown  in  these  shooting 
matches,  both  in  regard  to  the  cross-bows  and  the  quivers. 
We  still  have  specimens  of  quivers  of  that  period,  made 
to  hold  from  fifty  to  a  hundred  bolts,  of  red  leather 
embossed  under  heavy  pressure  and  carved  with  a  sharp 
tool,  being  ornamented  at  the  top  with  double  lions  of 
Saint  Mark.  1  he  targets  were  set  up  at  different 
points  ot  the  city,  but  the  most  famous  was  on  the 
Lido.  On  the  appointed  days,  boats  manned  by  thirty 
oars  were  in  readiness  at  the  entrance  to  the  Grand 
Canal,  near  the  Pia/./.etta,  and  it  was  the  rule  that  these 
were  to  be  rowed  only  by  competitors  in  the  shooting. 
At  twelve  o'clock  the  heads  of  the  'duodene,'  which 
seem  to  have  been  sub-districts,  arrived  with  detach- 
ments of  from  ten  to  twelve  men  each,  recruited  in  all 
classes  of  the  citv;  thev  made  their  way  to  the  scene 
of  the  competition,  followed  and  encouraged  by  the 
multitudes  that  came  to  look  on.  Lots  were  drawn  to 
determine  the  order  in  which  the  voung  men  were  to 
shoot.  At  the  meeting  held  at  Christmas,  whoever  hit 
the  bull's-eye  first  recened  ten  vards  of  scarlet  cloth:, 
the  second  received  six  vards;  the-  third  won  a  cross-bow 
and  qimer.  At  the  meeting  held  in  March,  the  pn/es 
were  of  another  stuff  called  'borsella';  and  in  May, 
a  third  kind  of  material  was  Driven,  called  'tmtilana.' 


\mong  other  popular  fesmals  ol  the  Venetians,  the 

1 ree  tail"  In-Ill  ar  tin-  Ascension  was  of  jMvat  importance. 
I  ntil  I  ^~  this  la.strd  eiidit  davs,  but,  after  that,  it  was 
prolonged  during  a  fortnight.  It  was  at  rhi.s  rune,  as 

have  said  clseu  here,  that  rln-  famous  function  ol  tin- 
'  I'. spousal  of  tin-  Si-a  '  was  held.  During  rln-  lair,  even 
kind  of  merchandise  was  allowed  tree-  entrance  totln-  port 
and  was  sold  in  rlu-  Square  of  Saint  Mark's,  in  booths 
and  on  improvised  counters,  which  s^ave  that  enormous 
space  the  air  of  a  market.  About  the  beginning  of  the 
fourteenth  ccururv  ir  began  to  be  the  custom  to  wear 
masks  dunni;  this  period  of  mingled  business  and 
amusement.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  the  fair  became 
a  source  of  large  wealth  to  the  tivasurv,  and  an  oppoi- 
tumtv  tor  making  moncv  for  main',  since  at  that  time 
an  immense  number  of  fore-limners  came  to  Venice  from 
all  parts  of  the  world.  It  has  been  estimated  that  at 
times  as  main  as  two  hundred  thousand  strangers  \\eiv 
present  in  the  citv  for  this  occasion,  which  I  shall  here- 
after rake  an  opportunity  of  describing  with  more  detail 
m  the  form  it  had  acquired  m  a  later  a<H-. 

Strangers  who  \isir  \  emce  often  wonder  idlv  \\hether 
there  is  am  nieamnim  in  the  half-cabalistic  sijjjis  coarsely 

,  painted  on  the  d\  ed  sails  of  tin  fishing- 

boats  that  !_dnle  m  towards  i'\c-mnu,  one 
after  the  other,  and  take  their  places  for  the  ni^ht, 
like  wearv  h\e  things  comm^  home  tit  slei-p.  I  here 
slimes  tin  roughlv-dra  wn  pi'esent  nn-nt  of  a  cock, 
apparenth  in  an  attitude  of  i-cstas\'  before  a  rising 
sun  tlu'.t  bears  a  stroii"  resemblance  to  an  omelet; 


vii        CASTKLLANI   AND   XICCX)L()TTI       209 

and  there  a  mystic  beast  that  may  he  meant  tor  a  donkey, 
unless  it  stands  tor  a  grasshopper.  ^1  on  may  wonder 
which,  unless  you  ask  ot  some  superannuated  old  fisher- 
man loitering  on  the  quay  at  sunset  with  his  pipe  tor 
company.  But  he  will  tell  vou  that  the  cock  and  the 
rising  sun  are  the  hereditarv  emblems  ot  all  the  de- 


scendants  ot  ancient  fosaphat,  a  fisherman  ot  Padua 
who  adopted  them  long  ago;  and  that  the  monster 
grasshopper-donkey  is  really  a  horse,  and  belongs  to 
another  family  ot  fishers,  the  Cavallarm;  and  so  on, 
through  as  many  as  vou  can  point  out.  It  is  the 
heraldry  ot  the  fisher  people,  begun  long  ago  bv  the 
Xiccolotti  and  preserved  religiously  by  their  descendants 


210          (il.KAM.NCS    FROM    HISTORY  vn 

to  this  present  time;  ;nul  though  heraldry  is  ancient 
in  \enice,  there  mav  be  sroiu-  roars  of  amis  on  \\alls 
of  time-worn  palaces  rhar  look  down  upon  rlu-  (iraiul 
Canal,  less  old  rlian  SOUR-  of  these  rude  ancestral  hear- 
ings of  the  sea,  that  have  been  handed  down  from  m.-n- 
erarion  ro  generation  through  uncounted  centuries. 

Possibly,  rhi ugh  no  one-  would  be-  bold  enough  to 
call  ir  certain,  rlu-  fishermen  who  were  rbe  Xiccolotri 
formed  rlu-  first  and  oldest  guild  in  \  cmce;  at  all  events 
the  others  bear  a  strong  resemblance  to  theirs  when  \\  e 
first  bear  of  rheni. 

Thev    <M~C\V    up    in    \cnice,    as    they    did    in    Florence 

and  other  cities  of   Italy,  close-  corporations  of  arrs  and 

1;   ,,.,.-    ./•..,.     trades,  which  were  protected  hv  the  State, 

and  assured   many  privileges  to  those  who 

belonged  to  them,  duet  of  which  was  a  sort  of  monopoly 

of  each  branch  of  industry,  which  enriched 

-.-,''  ••-.  .  .  .  .  \      .  , 

the   workmen    without   injuring   the   State. 

I  nder    la\\'s    b\"    which    no    new    object    could    be    sold 

except  in   properly  authorised  shops,  there 
.\/,<   •  .  .  '      '  .   ,       .  .  .   ' 

was   no  tear  of    foreign  competition   nor  of 

borne  depression.  Kach  guild  \\as  a  little  republic  in 
itself,  tbriNiiiLi  m  the-  heart  of  the  <M'eat  maritime 
Republic,  occupied  in  administering  its  o\\  n  affairs,  and 
never  making  itself  a  source  of  an\ict\  to  the  go\ern- 
ment  hv  meddling  in  politics. 

It  thus  appears  that  on  tin-  whole  tin-  people  not  only 
entertained  a  sort  of  natural  devotion  and  a  feeling 
of  nratitude  towards  the  nobility,  and  li\ed  a  lift-  of 
traiK|uillit\  and  contentment,  with  plentyol  hohda\'s  and 


vii        CASTELLAM   AND   NICCOLOTTJ       211 

public  feasts,  with  ample  means  of  earning;  a  livelihood, 
and  under  such  provisions  of  public  charity  as  made  any- 
thing like  pauperism  next  to  impossible;  but  also  that 
their  true  strength  consisted  in  the  institution  of  the  arts 

r*1 

and  guilds,  which  were  recognised  and  protected  by  the 
laws.  I  have  already  said,  in  respect  ot  the  eleventh 
century,  that  each  art  existed  like  a  small  republic  in  the 
midst  ot  the  great  one;  and  in  the  fourteenth  century 
more  than  one  hundred  of  these  so-called  arts  had 
their  individual  constitutions.  One  of  these  constitu- 
tions contained  a  statute  which  forbade  the  members 
of  the  arts  and  guilds  from  doing  anything  which  might 
interfere  with  or  oppose  the  ordinances  of"  the  govern- 
ment, and  most  expressly  forbade  anything  which  could 
be  looked  upon  as  conspiracy.  Each  art  had  its  own 
'gastaldo,'  or  judge,  and  a  certain  number  of  elders, 
who  ruled  it  according  to  its  constitution,  and  as  con- 
necting links  between  their  own  tribunal,  which  might  be 
called  a  tamilv  court,  and  the  central  government  of  the 
State.  There  were  also  three  judges  called  'justiciaries,' 
who  were  elected  by  the  Great  Council.  It  was  morally 
impossible  for  any  one  to  exercise  even  the  simplest  and 
humblest  of  these  arts  until  he  had  been  admitted  by 
the  council  of  the  one  in  which  he  wished  to  work.  It 
would  have  been  as  dangerous  as  to  introduce  into 
Venice  anv  sort  of  merchandise  that  was  alreadv  manu- 
factured there,  and  by  that  means  bring  about  com- 
petition between  Venetian  and  foreign  products.  So 
far  as  the  higher  arts  and  trades  were  concerned,  such 
as,  for  instance,  glass-making,  it  was  smctlv  forbidden 


to  ;illo\v  am  workman  to  lease  \emce  who  was  in  a 
portion  to  take-  abroad  the  se-crets  of  an  industrv  ()t 
\\luch  ir  was  intended  to  keep  the-  monopoly  ;ir  home. 

K\e-rv  sort  ot  guild  comprised  mam  ele-<MVe-s  and 
a  number  ot  officers,  so  that  the  liveliest  competition 
went  on  between  the  members,  the  apprentice  constantly 
striving  to  become-  a  crattsman,  while-  the-  crattsman 
thought  ot  nothing  but  the  moment  at  which  he  should 
be  able  to  stand  the-  test,  which  was  a  real  examination, 
bv  \\  Inch  he  might  obtain  a  right  to  the  title  ot  '  master,' 
not  onlv  because-  the-  latter  represented  the-  highe-st 
de-give-  to  which  he-  coulel  aspire-,  but  because  it  con- 
terreel  upon  the-  sons  ot  whoever  obtained  it  the  right 
to  he-come-  maste-rs  without  being  required  to  stand  the- 
te-st.  1  he-  te-st  e-xammation  tor  the-  'ele-gre-e-'  ot  maste-r 
e'onsiste-d  in  e-xe-cutmg  a  difficult  pure-  ot  work  within  a 
ce-rtam  number  ot  hours  or  davs.  1'or  instance-,  a  man 
became  a  maste-r  ot  mosaic  paving  when  he-  could  la\" 
our  anel  finish  tin-  pa\e-me-nt  ot  a  large-  room,  so  that 
not  the-  smallest  crack  or  cre-vice-  or  Haw  e'oulel  be-  dete-cte-d 
m  it,  and  so  that  the  K-ve-1  ot  the-  whole  surface-  should 
nowhere  vary  b\  more  than  the-  thickness  ot  a  elucat. 

In  some  of  the  arts  appre-ntice-s  \\e-re-  not  aelmitted 
under  the-  a^e-  ot  twelve;  in  othe-rs,  such  as  shijibuilelmg, 
win- re  the-  work  \\as  done-  m  the-  ope-n  air,  the-v  coulel 
beLi'in  trom  tin-  time-  \\hcn  the-\"  were  eiidit  ve-ars  old. 
(  Ilass-workers  \se-re-  forbidden  to  make-  use-  of  children's 
labour  m  Mich  \\ork  as  grinding  glass,  or  in  an\p  knul  of 
occupation  that  coulel  ni|iire  their  health,  such  as  tending 
ri't  furnaces  elurin*'  the-  hot  se-ason. 


vii       CASTELLAN!   AND   MCCOLOTTI        21  j 

Ihe  workmen  of  the  arsenal  also  formed  several 
guilds  of  a  superior  order,  and  had  special  rules,  which 
I  shall  notice  in  another  place,  for  the  arsenal  did  not 
reach  the  height  of"  its  importance  and  activitv  till  the 
sixteenth  century. 

Lach  corporation  or  guild  elected  its  'gastaldo'  hv  a 
majority  of  votes,  and  his  authority  max  he  described 
as  partaking  of  the  paternal,  and  of  that  of  a  |ustice  of" 
the  peace,  \\hen  any  conflict  arose  between  two  or 
more  members  of  the  guild  he  was  appealed  to,  and  his 
verdict  was  perfectly  legal.  In  grave  cases,  where  it 
became  absolutely  necessary  to  appeal  to  the  public 
tribunals,  the  latter  were  bound  to  take  into  considera- 
tion the  rules  of  the  charter  of  that  guild  to  which  the 
parties  belonged;  those  rules  were  called  the  'marie- 
gole,'  and  no  sentence  was  lawful  which  was  in  contra- 
diction with  them. 

\\  ithin  the  guilds  brotherhoods  were  formed,  the 
aims  of  which  were  both  religious  and  co-operative; 
and  these  took  the  name  of  'schools,'  which  vied  with 
each  other  in  building  churches  and  hospitals  and  in 
making  pompous  appearances  in  public  during  tin 
religious  or  civil  festivals.  1  he  number  of  artisans 
inscribed  in  a  guild  was  not  determined,  but  the  mrmhcr 
of  brethren  in  each  school  was  limited  hv  its  statutes. 
Lach  school  was  directed  bv  a  'gastaldo'  and  a  number 
of  elders,  who  were  generally  the-  senior  members  of 
the  <niild  from  which  it  was  derived.  'I  his  council  of 
management  was  to  admonish  \\ith  gra\e  \\ords  anv 
brother  who  led  an  immoral  life,  to  punish  blasphemers, 


2i4  (ILKAMNCiS    FROM    HISTORY  vn 

and  to  In-  vigilant  lest  am  ot  tin-  brethren  should  play 
at  ^ames  ot  chance,  even  dice-  being  prohibited.  1  he 
'uastaldo'  himself  might  be  admonished  In  the  elders, 
and  required  to  perform  'great  and  good'  penance, 
according,  to  the  terms  ot  some  ot  the  charters.  1  he 
brethren  paid  a  tax  ot  admission,  and  in  mam  schools 
bound  themselves  to  flagellation  at  Lent.  A  certain 
number  ot  priests  were  admitted  without  any  obliga- 
tions, and  from  tour  to  six  physicians;  both  'doctors 
ot  phvsic,'  as  thev  were  then  called,  and  'doctors  of 
wounds,'  as  surgeons  were  designated.  No  brethren 
were  admitted  under  the  age-  ot  sixteen  years. 

1  he  brethren  had  a  right  to  receive  assistance  from 
the  schools  in  the  form  of  monev  and  of  medicine,  it 
thev  were  ill,  either  at  home  or  in  the  hospitals  \\hich 
were  annexed  to  the-  abodes  of  some-  brotherhoods.  \\  e 
rind  it  stated  that  in  some-  cases  the  schools  assisted  a 
brother  \\irh  a  sum  as  large-  as  three  hundred  ot  the 
'small  lire,'  which  was  a  verv  considerable  sum  for 
that  time,  hcinsj;  equal  to  about  riftv  pounds  sterling. 
Amon^  the  advantages  enjoyed  hv  those  who  belonged 
to  a  school  was  that  even  when  absent  from  tin-  citv 
thev  could  claim  succour  from  the  brethren.  '1  he 
following  words,  translated  from  the  statures  of  the 
Srhool  ot  tin-  I  lob'  Apostles,  trained  in  \enetian  dialect 
of  the  thirteenth  centurv,  well  express  the  general  pur- 
pose of  these  institutions.  'Let  the  brethren  be  twelve 
<_M>od  and  honest  men,  who  for  tin-  lo\  e  of  our  Lord 
L-SIIS  Christ  art-  to  h\e  hohlv,  in  peace  and  chantv, 
without  fraud,  pride,  or  murmuring,  having  c-\'er  before 


vii        CASTELLAN!    AND    NICCOLOTTI       215 

their  eves  the  example  of  the  apostles  and  the  command 
of  Christ,  to  wit.  Love  peace  and  charity,  and  love 
your  neighbour  as  yourself.' 


,  ..  -  8*  .-^^?>mm£^ 

;'^^T1f  U  nt"  -a  j  • 


1  he  worst  of  the  misdeeds  tor  which  one  ot  the 
brethren  could  be  subjected  to  the-  dishonour  ot  be-in*'; 
expelled  from  the  school  was  openlv  leading  a  bad  lite. 
1  he  head  oi  the,  brotherhood,  upon  the  information  ot 


216          GLEANINGS   FROM   HISTORY  vn 

other  brethren  and  by  his  own  knowledge,  then  \\arned 
the  culprit  to  correct  his  wavs.  'Let  him  In-  told  to 
amend  his  lite  openly,  tor  charm's  sake-;  and  it  it  he 
amended  within  fit  teen  davs,  then  praise  be-  to  God, 
and  let  him  go  in  peace.' 

It  sometimes  happened  that  a  brother,  ot  his  own 
accord,  rather  than  be  expelled,  wished  to  quit  a  school, 
in  entering  which  he  had  perhaps  experienced  some 
difficulty.  1  o  this  end  the  statutes  ot  some  schools 
laid  down  that  he  should  pav  a  considerable  fine, 
that  in  the  presence  ot  his  companions  he  should  In- 
placed  upon  a  bier,  and  that  while  the  bells  tolled  as 
tor  a  dead  man  he  should  be  carried  round  the  church. 
Atter  the  passage  ot  this  law  such  cases  JMVW  much  less 
frequent. 

In  the  end  the  schools  became  verv  rich  institutions, 
tor  the  members  not  onlv  contributed  monev,  bur  thev 
and  their  families,  and  doubtless  main'  members  ot  the 
guilds,  worked  tor  nothing  on  their  churches,  their  hos- 

r^  o 

pitals,  and  their  asylums  tor  the  old.  I  he-  competition 
between  dihVrent  schools  was  keen,  and  led  to  their 
beautifying  their  oratories  and  their  places  of  meeting 
with  magnificent  works  of  art,  so  that  almost  .ill  the 
i^reat  painters  ot  \  emce  first  acquired  fame  under  then 
protection. 

In  the  fourteenth  centurv  such  men  as  Carpaccio  and 
Bellini,  and  later,  1  man,  \  eronese,  and  I  intoretto,  were 
all  humble  brethren  ot  the  Guild  of  Painters  and  \ar- 
nishers.  and  the\'  all,  without  exception,  submitted  in 
their  schools  to  the-  authority  of  men  \\ho  were  ver\ 


vii       CASTELLAN!    AM)   MCCOLOTT1       217 

likely  nothing  better  than  house-painters  hv  profession, 
though  thev  were  undoubtedly  men  ot  high  morahtv 
and  probably  ot  considerable  cultivation. 

As  tor  the  treasure  that  accumulated  in  the  name  ot 
the  Guild,  it  was  nor  onlv  used  tor  the  sick  and  in  aiding 
voting  artists,  bur  it  was  also  not  unusual  to  give  dowries 
to  the  daughters  ot  poor  brethren,  and  some-times  con- 
siderable sums  were  sent  to  members  ot  the  (  iiuld  whom 
some-  urgent  matter  detained  abroad  without  sufficient 
means  ot  livelihood. 

It  is  a  singular  tact,  mentioned  onlv  bv  Cecchetti, 
that  a  number  ot  nobles,  possibly  in  the  hope  of 
obtaining  influence  oxer  the  <>tulds,  but 

(.ccc/H'tti.   >••>•/,>. 

pretexting  religious  devotion,  requested 
and  were  permitted  to  be-  inscribed  as  brethren.  Ir 
appears  that  some  ot  the  brotherhoods  attempted  at 
the-  very  tirsr  to  detend  themselves  trom  this  invasion, 
but  were  afterwards  obliged  to  vield  to  the-  \\ill  ot 
the  Great  Council,  though  thev  limited  the  number  ot 
nobles  to  be-  admitted  so  as  to  make  it  very  small 
compared  with  that  ot  the  citr/ens.  Later,  how- 
ever, in  1407,  the  Great  Council,  considering  that  this 
was  a  slight  upon  the1  aristocracy,  required  that  all  nobles 
should  be  admitted  to  the  schools  \\ho  \\ished  it,  pro- 
\ided  that  thev  were  ot  good  repute'.  But  the-  nobihtv 
\\ere  not  satisfied  with  this;  thev  wished  to  join  t lie- 
schools  and  vet  be  exempt  trom  the  usual  dues.  A  tew 
ot  the  juiilds  vielded,  but  we  find  amon^  the  papers  ot 
the  school  ot  Santa  Maria  della  \  al  \  erde,  of  the-  '/ear 
I  .520,  that  all  nobles  who  joined  it  must  submit  to  all 


2iS  CI.KAMVIS    FROM    HISTORY'  vn 

the-  requirements  of  the  statute-,  and  that  for  the-m  the 
admission  UTS  should  In-  eve-n  larger  than  tor  ordinary 
citi/e-ns  'and  k-t  him  be-  what  he  pleases,'  concludes 
the  article  of  the  statute'  with  some  disdain.  In  other 
statutes  \\  e  Hnd  that  nobles  could  he  admitted  tor 
nothing;,  hut  that  if  thev  chose  to  pav  something  as 
conscience-mone\',  of  their  own  free-  will,  then  ottering 
would  not  he  refused.  Another  n<dir  that  the  nobles 
arrogated  to  themselves  was  that  of  refusing  to  submit 
to  flagellation  in  Lent,  and  the  onlv  schools  where  this 
custom  was  kept  up  decided  that  the  nobles,  bv  wav  of 
compensation,  should  pav  a  considerable  increase-  of 
dues,  and  that  the  same  immumtv  should  be  accorded 
for  nothing  to  all  brethren  over  sixtv  vears. 

(  )n  the  whole,  the  e-Hect  of  the  guilds  was  to  keep 
alive  in  the  people  a  sense-  of  their  own  di;.',mtv,  and  to 
distract  the-m  from  hankering  afte-r  the-  offices  oi  state-, 
tor  which  quite  another  education,  different  studies,  ami 
an  altogether  different  point  of  vie-w  \\ould  ha\e  bce-n 
re(]inred.  1'or  the-  equilibrium  of  a  pe-rmane-nt  state- 
one  prime  condi-ion  is  that  people  should  soherlv,  con- 
siste-ntl\ ,  and,  it  jiossibk-,  intelligently,  mind  tlu-ir  o\\  n 
business. 

In  the  fourteenth  centur\'  \e-mce-  was  unhkc-  all  other 
cities,  both  as  regards  her  external  and  internal  adminis- 
tration, and  the  singularb  di\e-rs  e-k-me  nts  of  \\hie~h  her 
stre-ngth  \\as  made  up.  In  order  to  ''am  a  clear  idea 
of  the  citv  s  condition  at  that  time,  a  word  miisi  be 
said  I'oncermn^  the  numerous  stran<H-rs  who,  though 
not  takmti  up  their  abode  permanentl\  in  the  citv, 


vii  STRANGERS  219 

passed  through  it  or  came  to  it  on  their  way  to  the 
East,  and  during  the  great  fairs.  I  have  spoken  already 
of  those  who  established  themselves  in  Venice  and  who 
sometimes  became  citizens  '  de  mtus  et  de  extra';  1 
speak  now  only  of  that  constant  stream  of  travellers, 
merchants,  and  men  of  business  —  Italians,  Frenchmen, 
Germans,  and  Orientals  —  who  came  and  stayed  a  few 
weeks,  or  even  months,  where  people  would  now  stay 
as  many  days,  who  transacted  their  business,  bartered 
then  merchandise,  and  made  acquaintance  with  the  city, 
visiting  its  monuments,  its  churches,  and  even  its  war- 
galleys  in  times  of  peace.  Venice  showed  them  the 
most  unbounded  courtesy,  and  frequently  offered  them 
the  most  magnificent  hospitality.  Their  presence  never 
created  the  least  disorder,  and  the  manner  in  which  the 
government  provided  for  their  welfare  is  one  of  the 
most  surprising  things  in  the  internal  economy  of  the 
city. 

\\  hen  a  stranger  arrived  in  Venice  and  took  up  his 
lodging  in  one  of  the  many  inns,  some  of  which,  like 
the  'Luna,'  the  '  Selvatico,' and  the  '  Eeon 

,  .  .       .  .  Mnt.  Costumi, 

nianco,  are  still  nourishing  in  our  own  time, 

and  were  famous  in  the  fourteenth  century,  he  found 
provided  for  him  a  tariff  of  prices,  which  protected  him 
against  anv  possible  imposition  on  the  part  of  the  land- 
lord ;  and  he  could  hire  a  licensed  guide  to  serve  him  lest 
he  should  lose  his  way  in  the  streets,  or  be  cheated  in  the 
shops.  I  he  authorities  exercised  a  direct  supervision 
over  the  rooms  of  the  inns,  requiring  the-  most  perfect 
cleanliness  of  beds  and  linen  and  blankets,  and  they 


22  (ill:  VMNCS    FROM     HISTORY  vii 

forbade  tlu-  crowding  of  strangers  he\<>nd  ;i  reasonable 
limit.  I'oi'  flu-  sum  of  fourteen  soldi  horses  \\ere 
pro\uled  \\irh  sufficient  oars.  hav.  and  straw. 

\r  tinirs,  when  manv  strangers  \isired  Venice,  the 
population  of  the  citv  was  almost  doubled;  and  as  the 
inns  could  nor  suffice  to  receive  such  a  number,  the 
municipality  placed  at  the  disposal  of  visitors  such 
emprv  houses  as  it  owned,  and  allowed  prnate  citi/ens 
to  K-r  rooms  to  strangers;  but  severe  penalties  were 
imposed  upon  anv  who  should  venture  to  let  lodgings 
\\irhour  a  proper  licence,  or  who  should  in  anv  \\a\ 
impose  iijion  lodgers. 

lY.iM'ims  \\ere  i'ecc-i\ed  in  hosj~>ices  built  for  the  |Hir- 
pose,  and  \\c\\-  there  ser\ed  \\irh  reference-  1>\  the  most 
distinguished  persons  in  \enice;  and  it  rhe\  chanced 
to  arn\e  at  the  rime  of  anv  solemn  tesrival  rhe\  \\ere 
united  to  loin  m  rhe  procession,  walking  on  the  right 
of  tin-  patricians  with  wax  torches. 

'I  here  was  a  special  court  for  deciding  questions 
betueen  strangers,  or  bet\\i-en  strangers  and  \  cnetians; 

and    ir    \\as    rhe    dut\     of    this    tribunal    to 

•  •  •       • 

punish  citi/ens  who  wronged  anv  foreigner, 

or,  it  tin-  latter  was  proved  to  be  rhe  offender,  to  expel 
him  from  tin  citv.  Moreover,  an  express  la\\  of  i  -j  i  7 
iiijinit  (1  that  tin  |ud^es  should  'gc-ntl\'  instruct  persons 
\\lio  did  nor  present  their  passports  in  order,  instead  of 
sending  rhem  a\sa\  rou^hb  or  imposin;;  a  fine  for  an 
i  ire:1  ula  nt  \  arising  from  i^noranci-  of  rln  \  eiietian  law. 
\\heii  ,IIH  ven  noble  L!.ui-st  was  in  Venice,  rhe 
state  sj>ared  norhinn  that  could  make  his  \isir  niemor- 


vii  STRANGERS  221 

able  to  him  as  a  time  of  \\oncler  and  delight.  "1  he 
Duke  of  Austria  never  forgot  the  reception  lie  met 
with,  at  a  time  when  he  had  little  expectation  of  being 
so  hospitably  treated,  tor  the  relations  between  the 
Duke  and  the  Republic  had  been  strained  during  some- 
time past.  One  ot  the  Duke's  great  vassals,  the  lord 
of  Sench,  who  was  devoted  to  the  king  of  Hungary, 
had  stopped  and  imprisoned  three  \  enetian  senators 
when  they  were  on  their  way  to  the  Court  ot  the 
Emperor  Charles  IV.  to  request,  in  the  name  of  the  Re- 
public, the  investiture  ot  certain  lands  to  which  the 
king  ot  Hungary  laid  claim.  1  he  Duke  ot  .Austria 
had  at  first  tolerated  tins  high-handed  act,  but  had  at 
last  yielded  to  the  reiterated  instances  ot  the  Republic, 
delivered  the  prisoners,  and  sent  word  that  he  would 
bring  them  to  \  emce  himself. 

1  hough  surprised,  and  a  little  uneasv  at  this  pro- 
posal, the  Council  determined  to  receive  him  with  lavish 
hospitality,  and  several  senators  were-  sent  ro  1  reviso 
with  richly-adorned  vessels  to  meet  him.  1  le  embarked, 
accordingly,  with  the  restored  captives,  thirrv  knights, 
and  a  train  ot  two  hundred  voung  nobles  and  squires. 
Not  tar  from  \  emce  he-  was  met  In  the  Doge-  with  the 
famous  barge,  the  Bucentaur,  and  the  two  sovereigns 
met  with  every  demonstration  of  friendship.  The 
noble  Austrians  were  lodged  at  the-  charge-  ot  the  State- 
in  the  Danelolo  and  /lam  palaces  on  the  (iranel  Canal, 
and  so  magnificent  were  the-  entertamme-nts  offered  tlu-ni 
that  the  expenses  of  their  visit  for  Venice  always  kne-w 
precisely  what  she  was  spending  amounted  to  te-n  thou- 


222 


GLEANINGS    FROM    HISTORY 


sand  ducats       sav,  seven  or  eight  thousand  pounds  ster- 
ling, \\hen  monev  was  worth  three  tunes  what  it  is  now. 
Mv    chronicler    remarks    that    the    monev    was    well 


^plpw^^lwl 


invested,  as  the-  Duke  \\as  made-  a  firm  friend  of  the 
Republic,  and  himself  proposed  a  treatv  hv  \\hich  he 
ahandoned  his  claims  to  1  rieste  for  se\ cnt\'-h\  e  thou- 
sand ducats  —  about  hftv-six  thousand  pounds. 


vii  STR.\\r,KkS  22.} 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  fourteenth  century  Petrarch 
was  received  with  a  hospitality  as  open-handed,  and  much 
less  interested.  1  he  great  poet  and  famous  ambassador 
v.  :;s  treated  like  a  king;  the  palace  of  the  Ouattro 
Torn  on  the  (Jrand  Canal  was  fitted  up  for  him  and 
placed  at  Ins  disposal  tor  as  long  a  time  as  he  would 
stay  in  \  enice,  and  at  every  public  function  or  festivity 
he  appeared  on  the  ri^ht  hand  of  the  Doge. 

I    [  O  O 

I  ouched  by  such  consideration,  Petrarch  bequeathed 
a  part  of  his  priceless  library  to  the  Republic,  and  Venice. 
on  her  side,  refusing  to  be  outdone  in  generosity,  pre- 
sented him  as  a  gift  with  the  palace  in  which  he  had 
been  living. 

I  he  palace  had  originally  belonged  to  the  Molina 
family,  and  ultimately  became  a  religious  house  under 
the  Sisters  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre.  As  for  the  poet's 
books,  they  came  to  a  melancholy  end.  They  are  some- 
times said  to  have  been  the  beginning  of  the  library  of 
Saint  Mark.  The  authority  from  which  I  quote  says 
that  amongst  them  were  a  manuscript  of  Homer,  given 
to  Petrarch  bv  Nicolas  Sigeros,  ambassador  of  the 
Kmperor  of  the  Kast,  a  beautiful  copy  of  Sophocles,  a 
translation  of  the  whole  of  the  Iliad  and  of  a  part  of 
the-  Odvssry,  copied  bv  Boccaccio  himself,  he  having 
learned  (Jrcek  from  the  translator,  Leontio  Pilato,  an 
imperfect  Oumetilian,  and  most  of  the  works  of  Cicero 
transcribed  bv  Petrarch  himself.  Such  treasures  would 
make  even  a  modern  millionaire  look  grave ;  vet  it  is  said 

o 

that  when  the  celebrated    1  omasini  asked  to  be  allowed 
to  see  the   books   towards   the1  end   of   the  seventeenth 


(ii.i:  \M.\c;s  FROM  HISTORY 


•\ ,  In-  found  rlii-iii  stowed  a\\a\  in  .in  attic  under 
tin-  root  of  S;nnt  Mark  s,  'partly  reduced  to  dust,  partly 
petrified  'in  saxa  nuitatos  ;i  phenomenon  of  \\lnch 
I  iu-\i-i"  heard,  and  which  I  am  at  a  loss  to  explain. 

I  hi  tendency  ot  Anglo-Saxons  to  extol  and  lu-lp 
conspiracy  against  every  government  hut  their  own 
has  led  Knghshmen  to  waste  s\  mpathv  on  Boecomo 
and  I  lepolo,  of  whom  it  is  now  tinu-  to  speak.  I  he 
system  ot  laws  and  government  which  hecame  defined 
alter  the  closure  ot  the  (  Ireat  Council,  though  it  al- 
ready existed  in  great  part  so  tar  as  practice  uas  con- 
cerned, was  designed  to  check  e\erv  impulse  ot  personal 
political  ambition  in  all  classes  ot  \  enetians,  hes'in- 
mno;  \\itll  the  Done  himself.  Indeed  Ins  lite,  both 
puhhc  and  private,  was  so  hampered  and  hedged  in  thai 
ins  position  at  ordinary  times  seems  to  us  tar  from 
enviable.  ^  et  in  spite  ot  tins,  and  it  is  a  smmilar 
reflection,  it  was  cpute  possible  tor  a  oreat  man  like 
I ',nr  ico  I  )andolo  or  Andrea  Conta  nm  to  exercise  t  re  men  - 
dous  personal  influence  at  decisive  moments  and  to 
perform  acts  of  the  highest  heroism.  Is  there  anything 
more  heroic  in  all  romantic  history  than  the  aged 
Dandolo  kneeling  to  receive  the  cross  ot  the  crusader, 
and  then  leading  a  Lire  at  allied  host  to  one  ot  the  most 
astounding  conquests  ever  recorded  .'  \\  as  e\  f  a  man 
more  of  a  hero  than  old  Contanm,  swearing  on  Ins 
sword,  \\heti  all  seemed  lost  at  Chioggia,  that  he  \\ould 
ne\  er  [[»  l>aek  to  \  en  ice  till  tin  enenn  \\  as  beaten  and 
glorious  1\  keeping  bis  \\oi~d  .'  It  seems  to  me  that  the 
heroism  nt  both  those  :nen  ('rows  when  one  considers 


vii  CONSPIRACIES  225 

that  if  either  of  them  had  bee-n  eve-n  suspected  of  anv 
personal  inteivsr  or  ambitious  eiesiLMi  he  \\oulel  have 
bee-n  ruthlessly  put  out  of  the  way  In  the  men  \\ho  had 
elected  him. 

1  he  whole  system  was  created  to  make  anything  like 
self-aggrandisement  impossible-,  and  it  worked  so  in- 
fallibly that  during  some-thing  near  six  hundred  years 
not  one  attempt  to  break  it  down  was  successful;  and 
when  at  last  it  fell,  in  its  extreme  old  age-,  of  weakness 
ami  corruption,  it  was  not  finally  destroyed  bv  anv 
inherent  detect  except  old  age,  when  it  was  attacked  bv 
the-  oreate-st  conqueror  since  Charlemagne. 

It  mav  not  be  possible  to  brino;  it  under  anv  philo- 
sophical theory,  and  it  bore  but  a  small  re-semblance-  to 
Plato's  ideal  State-;  but  it  had  the  merit  of  be-ing  the 
most  practical  plan  ever  tested  tor  maintaining  the- 
balance-  between  public  anel  private  force-s,  public  wel- 
fare and  private  wealth,  national  e!i<Miitv  anel  individual 
social  importance-.  Of  the-  thre-e  L'Te-at  conspiracies  only 
one-  \\as  the-  work  of  an  ambitious  aristocrat;  another 
was  a  disappointed  rich  burgher's  ineffectual  effort  at 
re-veil^-;  the-  third  was  headed  bv  the-  Doge  himself, 
partly  out  of  pruate  resentment.  None-  of  them  had 
anv  I'.reat  chance  of  success,  \vt  so  <>;reat  was  the  appiv- 
hension  they  e-reate-d  that  they  were  the  source  and 
origin  ol  all  that  terrible  machinery  of  see-ret  tribunals, 
spies,  anommous  accusations,  anel  pin  ate  executions 
which  darken  the-  later  history  of  \enice;  a  machme-r\' 
which  \\'as  almost  a  1  wax's  at  \\ ork  against  the  ver\'  nobles 
\\lio  hael  constructed  it,  \\lio  fe-areel  it,  but  \\lio  ne-\e-r 

V'  '!..    I.  —  i) 


22<i          (II.1.\\IN(;S    FROM    HISTORY  \i! 

even  thought  of  domo-  awav  with  it,  thouidi  thcv  could 
ha\e  \oted  it  out  of  existence  at  am  meeting  of  their 
council;  a  machinery  which  hanJlv  affected  tin-  masses 
of  tlie  people  at  all,  and  which  powerfully  protected  the 

merchant  burghers,  hut  at  tin-  mere  nu-ntion  of  \\hich 
tin-  greatest  nohle  became  silent  and  looked  grave. 

Klsewhere  in  Italy  the  nobles  of  rlu'  twelfth,  rhir- 
teenth,  and  fourteenth  centuries,  iron-clad,  hard-riding, 
atul  hard-hitting,  were  the  natural  enemies  of  the  people-, 
whom  thcv  could  kill  like  Hies  when  thcv  liked.  In 
sea-jMrt  \  cmce  they  \\"ore  no  armour,  the-  people  mostlv 
loved  them,  and  the  burghers  needed  their  protection 
and  shared  in  all  the  sources  of  their  wealth.  1  he  nobles' 
onlv  possible  enemies  at  home  were  amon^  themselves. 

llistorv  has  not  left  a  very  clear  account  of  the 
conspiracy  of  Mann  Boccomo  against  the  ai'istoci'atic 
Republic  in  i  }OO.  \\  e  kno\\  that  he 
was  a  man  who  had  a  <;iear  follo\\mg, 
chierlv  on  account  of  his  immense  wealth,  ami  Ro- 
mamn  remarks  that  his  intelligence  was  not  eipial 
to  the  arduous  undertaking  be  had  planned.  \\<- 
know  that  on  the  discovery  of  the  plot  he  \\as 
taken,  that  he  \\as  hrst  confined  in  the  prison  of  the 
ducal  palace,  and  atferu'ards  banned  \\itb  ten  of  his 
principal  accomplices  bet\\cen  rhe  t\\o  column^,  prob- 
abl\  those  of  rhe  [>ia//etta,  and  we  ha\e  a  b^i  of  those 
executed,  showing  that  none  of  them  wire  noble;  but 
a  feu  noble  names  appear  amonsj,  those  of  pel  sons 
exiled  as  having  been  ta\ourabl<  to  a  revolution. 
Boccomo  was  certainly  one  of  those  malcontents  v.  ho 


VM  CONSPIRACIES  227 

were  not  satisfied  with  the  position  and  privileges  of  a 


IS: 


-  > 


- 

{  t"^  J 


\       IMA 

MA 


I         !•(]-. 


r-*ririi  ,\ .' 

:  }J.  -  m  • 

vM> 


\i-iu-tian    hurgher,    and    In-    \\;is    desirous    of    opening 
himself   a  \\a\'  into  the  (ireat  Council  h\'  means  of   his 


-X         CI.KAMNCS    FROM    HISTORY'  vn 

fortune.  I  he  storv  that  he  knocked  ;it  tin-  tloor  ot 
tin-  council  chamber  \\ith  tin-  hilt  ot  his  s\\ord,  ;md 
armed  to  tin-  teeth,  is  an  emprv  fable.  He-  plotted, 
like  the  other  conspirators,  in  the  dark,  and  he  was 
betrayed  hv  an  accomplice. 

1  he  tacts  as  well  as  the  details  ot  the-  conspiracv  ot 
the-  1  icpolo  and  the  Oiurini  are  better  known,  and  it  was 
this  attempt  at  revolution  which  first  ^a\e  the  <n>vern- 
ment  ot  tin-  Republic  that  suspicious  and  inquisitorial 
character  which  ir  never  afterwards  wholly  lost.  Men- 
tion has  already  been  made  ot  that  popular 
movement  in  [290,  which  attempted  to  seat 
upon  the  ducal  throne  [acopo  fa-polo,  son  ot  the 
former  Doge  Loren/o,  a  man  distinguished  in  the  career 
ot  arms,  and  who  \\  as  therefore  thought  tit  to  take-  charge 
ot  aH airs  at  tin-  beginning  oi  the  iM'eat  struck-  with 
(  ienoa.  It  will  be-  remembered  that  the  go\  eminent 
opposed  the  popular  choice,  partly  in  order  nor  to 
vield  an  inch  to  r!ie  popular  demand,  but  also,  on  the 
other  hand,  because  it  was  alreadv  suspected  that  the 
I  lepolo  tamilv,  which  hail  previously  sj.i\en  \enice  two 
doges,  was  desirous  ot  making  that  di^mtv  hereditary. 

I  he  di-m-  chosen  b\  the  ^<>\rrnnu'iu  was  (Irailemgo, 
and  against  him  tin-  I  lepolo  tamilv  and  then  friends, 
such  as  tin  (  hnrini.  tin-  Hadoer,  and  rlu  Doro,  con- 
tinued attei'\\ards  to  nourish  ivseiitmriit,  and  sho\\i-d 
themselves  sternlv  opposed  to  the  la\\  of  the  closure 
of  tin  (iiear  Council,  \\hich  tlu\  looked  upon  as  the 
triumph  of  (  Iradenigo  s  pobc\  .  I  he  I  lepolo  \\ere 
\er\'  numerous,  and  so  also  \\ere  the  (  )uii"im.  1  hev 


MI  CONSPIRACIES  229 

possessed  many  houses,  were  provided  with  vast  stores 
of  arms,  and  had  manv  servants  and  slaves.  The  two 
families  were  not  united  In  friendship  onlv,  for  Baja- 
monte  1  iepolo  had  married  a  daughter  of  the  Ouirim. 
Her  father,  Marco,  was  of  that  branch  which  inhabited 
the  palace  situated  on  the  island  of  Rialto,  in  a  little 
square  bevond  the  Ruga  degli  Speziali. 

Both  families  belonged  bv  right  to  the  Great  Coun- 
cil, and  during  its  meetings  thev  took  advantage  of 
the  smallest  incidents  to  give  vent  to  their  wrath  against 
the  Do^e  and  his  pohcv.  Sometimes  they  raised 
such  tumults  during  the  sittings  that  the  meetings 
had  to  be  adjourned,  and  on  the  following  days  they 
fanned  the  embers  of  disturbance  into  flame  in  the 
public  streets.  1  he  government  showed  its  anxiety 
bv  renewing  the  prohibition  to  wear  arms  abroad, 
and  the  greatest  vigilance  was  exercised  bv  the  '  Lords 
of  the  Night,'  who  were  six  magistrates,  generally 
nobles,  charged  with  the  dutv  of  superintendents  of 
police  in  the  citv  after  dark,  and  were  in  command 
of  the  armed  watch.  Orders  were  issued  that  no 
one  was  to  keep  fire-  burning,  except  in  barbel's'  shops, 
after  the-  ringing  of  the  third  hour  of  the  night,  i.e. 
three  and  a  half  hours  after  sunset.  At  that  time  the 
streets  were  onlv  lighted  bv  means  of  lamps  that 
burned  here  and  there  before  shrines  set  up  bv  pious 
persons,  but  the  government  no\\  greatly  increased  this 
illumination.  In  a  woid,  every  precaution  was  taken 
lest  the  discontent  fostered  bv  the  <Mvat  families  should 
suddenly  break  out  into  open  revolt. 


2jo          GLEANINGS    FROM    HISTORY  vn 

One-  evening  the  brother  ot  Marco  Ouirim,  Pietro 
surnaniecl  '  Pr/./agallo,'  was  met  in  the  street  In  Marco 
Morosini,  one  ot  the-  Lords  ot  the-  Night,  who  was 
<M>ing  his  rounds.  1  he  magistrate's  suspicions  were  at 
once  aroused;  he  stopped  Ouinni,  and  insisted  upon 
searching  him  to  see  whether  he  were  armed  or  not. 
Pietro  Ouirmi,  hv  wav  ot  showing  his  displeasure 
;.t  what  he  considered  an  offence,  promptly  kicked 
Morosini  off  his  teet,  and  lett  him  lying  on  the  ground. 
An  action  was  ot  course  brought  a^nnst  the  offender, 
who  was  condemned  to  pay  a  heavy  fine  tor  his  irasci- 
bility in  thus  gravely  insulting  an  officer  ot  the  State. 
Nevertheless  a  number  ot  similar  incidents  took  place1, 
tor  prudence  was  not  among  the  \irtues  ot  the  Ouinni 
and  1  icpolo  families,  and  they  appear  to  ha\e  gi\cn 
themselves  infinite  trouble  in  seeking  occasions  tor 
disturbing  the  public  peace.  Nor  v\as  it  difficult  at 
that  time  to  stir  up  the  elements  ot  discord,  for  \  enice 
\\as  involved  in  a  disastrous  war  with  the  lords  ot 
ferrara,  a  conflict  \\luch  \\e  must  now  briefly  explain. 

In  tin-  eleventh  century,  during  the  \\ar  ot  the 
Investitures,  the  Church  under  Gregory  \  II.,  Hildc- 
brand,  made  common  canst-  with  tin-  party  of  Italian 
independence  against  the  (  ierman  Kmpire,  and  \\as 
vigorously  sustained  In  Matilda,  Countess  ot  I  uscanv. 
She,  on  her  side,  naturally  found  allies  amon^  those 
po\\t-rs  \\hich  desired  to  obtain  the  ^ood\\ill  of  the 
Hob'  See.  \\hen  the  Countess  wished  to  ;.',ef  back 
1'errara.  \\hich  she  had  lost  some  \'i-ars  pre\  lousb',  the 
\i-netians  lent  their  help,  both  \\ith  vessels  and  \\ith 


vii  CONSPIRACIES  231 

armed    forces;     and    in    return    thcv    obtained    many 

j 

privileges  tor  their  commerce  in  the  citv  ot  Ferrara, 
and,  among  others,  that  ot  placing  there  a  '\  isdommo,' 
a  sort  ot  consul-general,  to  watch  their  interests. 

It  will  he  remembered  that  the  Countess  Matilda 
lett  all  her  vast  estates  to  the  Church,  Ferrara,  there- 
tore,  remained  under  the  supremacv  ot  the 
Hob/  See,  and  when  the  city  was  ser/.ed  by 
the  (ihibelline  Salmguerra  the  \  enetians  drove  him  out, 
and  the  citv  came  under  the  domination  ot  the  family  ot 
Fste.  with  the  consent  ot  the  Pope.  Bv  the  end  ot  the 
thirteenth  centurv  this  familv  had  already  readied  such 
a  high  position  that  the  Marquis  A/./.o  had  married  the 
daughter  ot  Charles  IF,  king  ot  Naples. 
\  emce  remained  on  excellent  terms  with  this 
Marquis  A/./o,  and  constantly  lent  him  assistance  in  his 
struggles  with  his  neighbours  who  threatened  his  liberty. 
He,  however,  fell  dangerously  ill  in  the-  vear  1^07,  and 
\  emce,  being  well  awareof  the  discord  which  was  brewing 
between  his  sons,  ser/.ed  the  opportunity'  of  furthering 
her  own  interests.  During  his  illness  three  Venetian 
envovs  remained  constantly  at  1'errara  on  pretence  of 
sending  information  regarding  the-  health  ot  the  sick 
man,  but  in  reahtv  to  watch  the  condition  ot  affairs 
and  the  disposition  ot  the  people.  I  he  old  prince  died, 
and  lett  a  will  so  worded  that  one  of  his  illegitimate 
sons,  named  1-resco,  attempted  to  have  his  own  son, 
1'olco,  proclaimed  lord  ot  1'errara,  and  to  this  end 
asked  help  of  \  emce.  A/./o's  two  legitimate  sons, 
Francesco  and  Aldobrandmo,  however,  turned  to  the 


(il.KAMNCS    FROM    HISTORY  vn 

Pope  and  obtained  his  support,  renewing  their  oaths  of 
alle-inance-  as  feudatories  ol  the  Church. 

A  hot  conte-st  now  ensue-d,  and  1' ivsco,  realising  the 
weakness  ot  his  own  cause,  made  over  his  rights,  such 
as  the-v  were,  to  \  enice.  1  he  troops  ot  the  Pope  and 
ot  the  Marcpns  I  rancesco  now  entered  I'errara,  ami 
tile  citv  was  dc-clared  under  the  dominion  of  the1  Pope 
MI  I  ^oS.  l)iit  \enice  protested,  and  refused  to  sur- 
render the  fortresses  she  had  taken  over  from  1' resco. 
Ir  was  in  \am  that  the  Pope-  attempted  every  means  of 
conciliation.  I  he  Republic  had  long  coveted  1'errara 
as  a  possession,  and  now  refused  to  give-  up  the  part  of 
the  principality  which  she  held,  or  her  claim  to  the  rest. 
1  he  negotiations  therefore  came  to  grief, 
and  ended  in  a  solemn  Bull  of  Kxcommum- 
cation  against  the  Doge-,  his  counsellors,  all  the  citr/ens 
of  \emce,  and  all  persons  whatsoever  who  had  helped 
them  ;  declaring,  further,  that  \  '.-nice  was  dispossessed  of 
all  she  he-Id  in  tin  principality  of  1'errara  and  elsewhere; 
all  men  were  forbidden  to  c-n^a^e  in  commerce-  with  her ; 
all  men  were  permitted  thenceforth  to  make  slaves  of 
\  cnetians  it  tln-v  coulel ;  the-  wills  of  all  \  e-ne-tians  \\  en- 
eleclare-e!  null  and  void;  and  all  e'leT^v  \\e-re  ordered  to 
<pnt  the  \e-ne-tian  territories  te-n  da\s  afte-r  the  expira- 
tion of  tin-  thirtv  da\s  \\hich  \\e-re-  allo\\cd  the  Repub- 
lic to  consuler  \\he-the-r  she  \\oulel  re-pent  or  not. 

\enice,  howexer,  obstmateK'  resisted;  and  in  fins 
place-  ii  ^hould  be  noted  that  the  \  e-iietians,  though 
\  (TV  ele\out.  and  ai\\a\s  rcad\  to  ele-e~re-e-  ne\\  testi\  ifies 
in  honour  of  then  saints,  besides  be-itiL'  extremeh 


vii  CONSPIRACIES 

"TiKTous  in   building  churches  and  endowing  religious 

{—I  c*>  <.  •-  "* 

institutions,  continuously  showed  themselves  averse-  to 
all  intervention  of  the  Church,  when-  their  political  or 
material  interests  were  concerned.  1  hough  thev  rc- 
spected  the  cler^v,  the  latter  never  had  anv  privileges 
in  Venice  hevond  those  of  ordinary  cin/ens,  and  both 
priests  and  monks  were  constrained  to  mount  guard  at 
night,  and  to  appear  before  civil  tribunals  in  civil 
suits,  like  ordinary  citi/ens. 

\  emce  was  still  undei  the  papal  excommunication 
when  the  quarrel  between  the  Ouinni  and  the  followers 
of  the  Doge  (jradem<j;o  had  reached  its  climax,  and 
when  the  anti-papal  partv,  which  \\  e  mav  fairK'  call  the 
(ihibelimes,  and  which  had  the  support  of  the  Doge, 
overcame  the  resistance  of  its  opponents.  Marco 
Ouinni  determined  to  take  advantage  of  the  discontent 
of  the  greater  part  of  the  citr/ens  in  order  to  set  on 
toot  an  immense  conspiracy.  lie  was  mdec-d  the  soul 
of  this  attempt,  but  his  son-in-law,  ISajamonte  1  lepolo, 
was  the  visible  mover  in  it,  lor  he  was  beloved  bv  the 
people,  who  called  him  the  '(ireat  Cavalier';  and  he 
was  inspired  bv  a  profound  hatred  of  the  person  of  the 
Doge,  who,  according  to  him,  had  usurped  the  dignirv 
\\hicli  had  been  conferred  upon  the  1  lepolo  bv  the  \\ill 
of  the  people. 

1'  nends  of  the  t\\  o  ^n-at  families  began  to  meet  in 
the  Ca  (Irande,  u'luch  \\as  the  palace  of  tin-  (Jinrmi. 
Marco  made-  a  speech,  which  to  modern  democrats 
might  seem  a  model  of  justice  and  patriotism,  in  which 
he  did  nor  fail  to  pro\e  that  he  \\as  not  impelled  to 


take  arms  against  the  head  <>t  tin-  Republic  bv  anv 
motp  e  ot  personal  grudge  or  private  anihirion,  but  rhar 
he  was  driven  to  extremities  bv  the  unuise  pohcv  ol  the 
<M>vernmcnt  and  the  extremely  unjust  laws  which  were 
hein^  promulgated  to  the  destruction  ot  tin-  public 
hberties.  A  sort  ot  report  ot  this  speech  is  still  pre- 
served in  tin-  hbrarv  ot  Saint  Mark. 

1  lepolo,  at  once  more  trank  and  more  persuasive, 
replied  to  the  words  ot  his  tather-in-law,  explaining 
clearh'  that  it  \\as  tlu-ir  joint  design  to  give  the 
Republic  a  doge  acceptable  to  the  people  and  capable 
ot  restoring  to  the  latter  their  original  and  ancient 
rights.  It  is  possible  that  the  meeting  miL'Jif  have 
determined  to  take  arms  openlv  at  once,  it  old  [acopo, 
another  ot  the  Ouinni,  a  man  ot  \\'isi-  counsel  and  ot 
little  personal  ambition,  had  not  replied  to  these  nrst 
t\\o  speeches  bv  attempting  to  persuade  his  hearers  that 
thev  ought  to  desist  trom  what  was  a  criminal  attempt, 
and  trom  bringing  about  the  calamities  ot  bloodshed. 
I  his  [acopo  was  about  to  leave  \emce  as  ambassador 
to  Constantinople.  I  he  conspirators,  \\h<>  respected 
him,  bur  had  not  the  slightest  intention  of  accepting 
his  ad\  ice,  pretended  to  vield,  putting  of}  the  moment 
for  action  until  after  his  departure,  \\hen  he  had  K  ft 
the  citv,  thev  made  e\cr\  arranuement  for  cai'r\injj,  out 
their  revolutionary  pi. ins  at  da\\n  on  Sunday,  (line  14, 
I.JIO. 

DnriiiLi  the  ni^ht  the  conspirators  wi-re  to  meet  in 
the  C  a  (Jrande  in  small  detachments.  In  the  palace 
arms  Milhcient  tor  all  were  hidden,  \\ith  a  ftau  upon 


vii  CONSPIRACIKS  235 

which  was  inscribed  the  word  'Liberty.'  Marco 
Ouinni  and  his  sons,  Xiccolo  and  Benedetto,  were  to 
go  to  Saint  Mark's  bv  tlu-  Calk-  del  I'ahbn  and  tbe 
Bridge  del  Dai,  witb  a  number  ot  armed  men  ;  the  other 
conspirators  were  to  enter  the  Pia/./a  trom  the  Mercena, 
under  t^e  leadership  ot  Baiamonte.  I' or  some  time 
past  Badoero  Budoer  had  been  in  Padua  and  its  neigh- 
hourhood  gathering  a  desperate  band,  and  on  the 
appointed  da\'  he  and  his  men  were  to  be  reach'  at  the 
palace  ot  the  Ouirim.  1  he  plan  was  boldly  conceived, 
and  there  was  no  small  likelihood  ot  its  success.  But 
one-  ot  the  conspirators,  a  burgher  named  Marco  Dona, 
lost  courage  at  the  last,  or  suffered  himself  to  be  seduced 
bv  promises  ot  rich  reward  from  the  Doge,  including 
his  admission  to  the  nobility.  Karlv  in  the  night  In- 
entered  Gradenigo's  apartment,  and  revealed  everything 
to  him.  J  he-  Doge  did  not  lose  his  presence'  ot  mind 
tor  an  instant,  but  gathered  round  him  his  counsellors, 
the  Lords  ot  the  Xi^ht,  the  heads  ot  the  1'ortv,  and  all 
his  tnends:  every  man  then  quietly  armed  his  servants. 
therebv  gathering  together  a  large  number  ot  defenders. 
At  no  great  distance  trom  the-  palace  was  tin-  .Arsenal, 
where  there  were  a  iireat  number  ot  artisans  ot  every 
kind  emploved  in  the  construction  ot  ships,  and  these 
men,  both  trom  their  intelligence  and  honesty,  repre- 
sented the-  pick  ot  the-  \enetian  lm\er  class.  I  hev 
composed  the  bodvLiuard  ot  the  Doge,  and  had  the 
right  to  assist  at  all  public  ceremonies,  their  chiets 
having  the  privilege  ot  entering  the  palace-  treelv, 
1  hese  men  slept  in  the  shipvard  bv  turns,  and  were 


2^  (il.K. \M.\CS    FROM    HISTORY  vn 

alwavs  readv  at  the-  call  ol  their  f provveditori','  who 
were  three-  nobles  elected  at  intervals  of  thirty-two 
months  tor  the  direction  and  administration  of  the 


'' 


Arsenal.  \\ith  such  forces  at  his  command,  it  is 
perhaps  not  surprising  that  the  l)oo_e  was  nor  intimi- 
dated 1>\  the  conspiracy.  \ssoon  as  hi'  was  assured  of 
heiiif:  defended  hv  his  sc-r\ants  and  the  workmen,  he 


MI  COXSFIRACIKS  2.57 

sent  messages  to  the  Mayors  of  Chioggia,  J  orcello,  and 
Murano,  with  orders  to  arrest  the  conspirators  who 
were  to  enter  \  emce  under  the  guidance  of  Badocr. 
.At  the  same  time  the  members  of  the  School  of  Chantv 
and  main'  of  the  guild  of  painters  took  arms  to  watch 
the  entrance  to  the  Pia/./a. 

Meanwhile  the  conspirators  made  their  wav  through 
a  tempest  of  ram  and  wind  to  the  Ouinni  palace,  and 
arms  were  distributed  to  them;  Badoer,  however,  did 
not  come,  and  his  absence  was  attributed  bv  his  friends 
to  the  storm.  \\  ithout  waiting  for  him  thev  went  out 
at  dawn,  during  a  terrific  thunderstorm,  crvmg  '  Death 
to  the  Doge  Grademgo!'  J  lie  Ouinm,  following  the 
direction  agreed  upon,  came  out  at  Saint  Mark's  bv  the 
Bridge  del  Dai,  which  thereafter  received  the  name  of 
'  Ponte  del  Malpasso'  (the  Bridge  of  L\il  Crossing). 
But  instead  of  finding  the  Square  deserted,  as  thev  had 
expected,  thev  were  assailed  bv  a  strong  contingent  of 
armed  men.  Marco  and  his  son  Benedetto  were  soon 
killed;  the  other  son,  Niecolo,  was  wounded,  and  he 
probably  obtained  on  that  dav  the-  surname'  of  'the 
Lame/  which  he  ever  afterwards  bore.  1  he  remaining 
conspirators  now  scattered,  to  meet  a^ain  soon  attct- 
\\ard.s  in  the  Square  of  Saint  Luke,  where  thev  were 
again  defeated  bv  the  guild  of  painters.  Meanwhile 
Baiamoute  was  coming  down  towards  Saint  Mark's 
froMi  the  Mercena,  and.  in  order  to  gather  Ins  followers 
together  he  halted  at  the  knot  of  elder-trees,  where  it 
was  the  custom  to  tie  up  the  'horses  o!  the  councillors 
on  tin-  davs  of  assembling.  I  ietv.  In  chance  or  bv 


2-jS          (H.KAXINGS    FROM    HISTORY  vn 

intention,  a  woman  of  the  people,  who  h\ed  in  a  little 
house  overlooking  the  trees,  dropped  from  her  window 
a  stone  mortar,  or  the  stone  of  a  hand-mill,  which  killed 
Ba  lamonte's  standard-bearer.  I  he-  banner  inscribed 
\\ith  the  word  '  I.ibertv'  was  dashed  to  the-  ground,  and 
I  icpolo's  men  fell  into  such  contusion  that  he  had  great 
difficulty  in  taking  them  back  to  the  island  of  Rialto, 
burning  behind  him  the  bridge  which  connected  the 
island  with  the  rest  of  the  citv.  A  regular  siege  now 
followed,  the  insurgents  defending  themselves  with  the 
courage  of  despair;  and  thev  might  e\en  then  have  been 
victorious  it  Badoer  had  been  able-  to  reach  \  (.-nice  and 
to  take-  the  Doge's  forces  in  tlu-  Hank,  hut  Badoer, 
with  a  great  number  of  his  rebellious  companions,  had 
been  taken  and  thro\\n  into  prison  earlv  m  the  morning, 
ha\i:iLr  been  caught  on  his  \\av  to  \emce  bv  the  Mavor 
of  Chioggia,  who  was  a  ( inistimam.  I  lepolo  now  held 
his  own  upon  the  island  of  Rialto,  \\here  he  had 
entrenched  himself;  but  the  Dojje,  in  order  not  to 
prolong  the  bloodshed  of  a  conflict  between  cm/ens, 
wished  to  prevail  bv  some  gentler  means,  and  promised 
all  the  rebels  their  lues,  provided  thev  \\ould  submit, 
throu  down  their  arms,  and  (put  the  territory  of  the 
Republic.  I  he  negotiations  were  first  attempted  b\ 
some  Milanese  merchants,  and  then  h\  (no\anm 
Soran/o,  \\lio.  ;is  tin  f at her-m-la\\  of  Niccolo  Ouinm, 
the  latter  h;r.  m<^  married  hi--,  daughter  Soran/.a,  seemed 
to  ha\'(-  a  bitter  chance  of  beinu  heard;  but  it  was  in 
vain.  I  i'-polo  continued  to  resist  with  mad  obstinacy, 
and  preferred  anvthuvj,  rather  than  submission;  until 


MI  CONSPIRACIES  239 

at  last  one-  ot  the  counsellors  of  the-  Doge,  a  certain 
I'ilipno  Bele<mo,  succeeded  in  brinjimii  about  an  under- 

I    I  o  r-         t- 

standing.  Tiepolo  consented  to  retire  troni  the  island 
of  Rialto,  and  to  go  into  an  exile  \\hich  was  to  last  toui 
vears  'in  the  Slavonic  countries  beyond  the  island  of 
/ara,'  but  not  in  anv  country  that  was  hostile  to 
\enice;  his  noble  followers  were  also  to  be  exiled 
during  tour  years,  and  might  reside  in  anv  part  ot 
Italv  that  was  outside  the  Venetian  territories,  but  not 
within  the  territories  of  Padua,  1  reviso,  or  \  icen/a. 
'I  hev  were  informed  that  if  the\'  were  found  beyond  the 
limits  to  which  thev  were  assigned  they  should  pav  for 
the  indiscretion  with  their  lives.  Bv  a  decree  of  the 
Great  Council  their  wives  were  ordered  to  follow  them 
into  exile,  and  were  instructed  to  leave  \  enice  within 
eight  davs.  1  he  other  conspirators,  i.e.  the  servants 
of  the  nobles,  and  those  who  were  considered  less 
responsible,  were  pardoned  on  condition  that  thev  would 
submit  and  lead  quiet  lives.  I  bus  of  all  those  who  had 
taken  part  in  the  revolutionary  movement,  only  Badoer 
and  !ns  friends  were  in  the  hands  of  justice  on  the 
evening  ot  the  fatal  dav.  \\  hen,  according  to  the 
custom  of  the  times,  thev  had  confessed  their  crime 
under  torture,  Badoer  was  beheaded,  and  the  rest 
were  all  hanged  between  the  columns.  One-third  of 
tlu-  Ouinm  family  property  having  been  claimed  In1 
Giovanni,  who  had  taken  no  part  in  the  conspiracy,  the 
remamino;  two-thirds  ot  the  Ouirmi  palace  on  the  Rialto 
were  demolished,  the  share  in  the  Ca  Grande  bemsj; 
allowed  to  stand  which  had  been  Giovanni's:  but  lest  it 


d  remind  posterity  ot  the  greatness  ot  the  family, 
rlu-  Republic  bought  our  his  third  parr  ;uul  turned  ir 
into  a  place-  tor  raisins^,  and  killing  poultry. 

lr  is  a  singular  circumstance,  but  quite  authentically 
ivcorded,  that  the  go\  eminent  \\as  ]iisr  then  without 
sufficient  funds  to  pav  (Jioxanni  tor  his  share  in  the 
house-,  and  it  \vas  actually  proposed  to  pawn  the 
city's  siKer  trumpets,  which  were  used  in  all  public 
solemnities.  1  he  government,  however,  succeeded  in 
raising  the  sum  in  a  more  dignified  wav. 

1  he  house  ot   l>a]amonte    I  lepolo,  at  Sant'  Agostino, 

..., .  ,,,„..  was  levelled  to  the  ground,  and  on  the  spot 
a  column  recorded  the  traitor's  mfamv. 
1  his  space  is  still  open  and  desolate  in  our  own  time, 
after  a  Iap.se  ot  six  hundred  vears. 

1  he  column  was  set  up  in  I  \  1 4.  and  it  bore  the 
following  inscription,  which  is  one  of  tin-  most  ancient 
specimens  ot  \enetian  dialect.  lr  is  in  the  form  of  a 
rhvmed  quatrain:  '  1  his  ground  belonged  to  l>a]a- 
monte,  and  now  tor  his  infamous  treacher\'  it  has  been 
rurned  common,  that  all  mav  look  upon  it  now  and  ever, 
anil  he  afraid.' 

Ir    is    not    lon^   since   \\nters   of    democratic   tendency 

still    attempted    to    ninke     I  lepolo    seem    a    martvr    to 

hl>ei't\.         I  he    I'roxisiona!    (  lo\  ernnient    o|    \  e«iee,    on 

(ul\      i^'.      '7(/7.     united     the     cm/ens     to 

re-store    to    honour    the    memory    ot    those 

heroes,    born     m    times    ot     rvrannv,    u  ho     had     fallen 

\ictim.s     to     their    o\\  n     generous     efforts,     and     much 

It 


vii  CONSPIRACIES  241 

up  a  statue  to  1  lepolo,  as  well  as  to  the  proto- 
murtvr,  Mann  Bocconio;  hut  in  the  end,  even  the 
democratic  government  was  obliged  to  concede  that  its 
hero  had  been  nothing  but  a  seditious  egotist,  and  the 
name  ot  Bajamonte  lias  not  lost  the  odium  it  deserves 
even  to  our  own  time;  tor  in  spite  ot  his  standard 
bla/oned  with  the  word  '  Liberty,'  he  had  really  meant 
to  ser/.e  the  government  ot  his  country  and  to  make 
the  dogeship  hereditary  in  his  family.  After  the  con- 
spiracy the  public  feeling  against  the  J  lepolo  and  Ouirim 
families  was  so  strong  that  those  branches  of  the  Tiepolo 
which  had  remained  faithful  to  the  republic  changed 
their  coats-ot-arms.  I  he  innocent  branches  of  the 
Ouinm,  however,  resorted  to  an  expedient  which  is 
quite  unique  in  heraldry,  so  tar  as  I  know.  Kom.iii.jy, 
In  Italian  'bono'  means  'good';  the 
Ouinm  simply  charged  their  coat  with  a  capital  B,  to 
show  how  good  the\'  had  been  ! 

Marco  Dona,  the  man  who  had  revealed  the  plot, 
was  rewarded  by  being  admitted  to  the  (Ireat  Council, 
and  his  name  was  inscribed  in  the  'Ciolden  Book,' 
making  the  honour  hereditary.  1  he  woman  who  had 
killed  Bajamonte's  standard-bearer,  and  whose  name  was 
Rossi,  on  being  asked  what  reward  she  would  prefer, 
requested  to  be  allowed  to  fly  the  standard  ot  Saint 
Mark  from  her  window  on  the  dav  of  Saint  \itus 
(June  15),  and  on  the-  other  solemn  festivals  ot  the 
year;  and  that  neither  she-  nor  her  descendants  should 
ever  be  required  to  pay  a  higher  rent  tor  the  house  in 
which  she  lived,  and  which  belonged  to  the  patrimonv 


242          GLEANINGS    FROM    HISTORY  vn 

of  the  Basilica  ol  Saint  Mark.       1  here  exists  under  date 

ot    the    vcar    i-^oS    tin-    protest   of    a    certain    Rossi.    her 

descendant,    whose    rent    had    been    raised 

f-.'t.  .  >.  .    .  l>  .  '.'. 

'   from    fifteen    ducats    to    twenty-eight.      He 

won     liis     case.       1  he     house     is     called     in 

our    own     time    the       House     oi     the     Miracle     ot      the 

;/   ,  Mortar.'      It    is    in    the    Mercena,    at    the 

"'•  corner  of  the  Calle  del  Cappello.  The 
standard  which  l.ucia  Rossi  used  to  displav  at  her 
window  is  preserved  in  the  Correr  Museum. 

I  he  Rector  ot  the  guild  ot  painters  ako  recei\ed 
special  honours,  as  well  as  the-  brethren  ot  the-  C'anta, 
who  had  lent  armed  assistance'. 

One  miidit  he  surprised  at  tlv  lc-mt\  with  which  the 
Republic  judged  the  ringleaders  ot  the  I  lepolo-Ouirmi 
conspiracy  ;  but  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  the  con- 
spirators, entrenched  on  the  Rialto,  \\ere  hcvond  the 
Doge's  power,  and  still  threatened  the-  satetv  ot  tin- 
cit\  ami  of  the  Republic,  which  was  no  doubt  idad  to 
be-  rid  ot  them  at  am  price.  Moreover,  we  have  record 
ot  a  pitiful  episode,  which  shows  that  the  \etietian 
LM>\  eminent  could  be  severe  to  cruelty  without  neces- 
sarilv  emplo\'ing  t!ie  executioner. 

Amonu;  tin-  nobles  \\lio  went  into  exile  hevond  7,ara 
atter  tin-  aBair  at  Rialto  \\as  Nu-colo  (Juiriiii,  Marco's 
son,  suniamed  'the  I. aim.  Ills  \\ite,  \^  ho  \\as,  as  \\  e 
ha\'e  said,  tin-  daughter  of  Giovanni  Soran/o,  joined 
him  in  his  exile.  At  the  end  of  tour  vears,  sa\'s 
Molnn-nti,  she  felt  an  irresistible-  lonninii  to  see  her 
tamib'  ai^ain,  and  asked  jn-nnission  to  return  home,  but 


vii  CONSPIRACIES  24j 

it  was  not  granted  to  her.  Her  father,  however,  had 
been  made  Doge  in  ijii,  and  she  began  the  journey, 
trusting  to  his  influence.  No  sooner  had  she  reached 
Venice  than  she  was  arrested  and  condemned  to  per- 
petual confinement  in  the  convent  of  Sta.  Maria  delle 
\  ergim,  in  one  of  the  most  distant  districts  of  the  city. 
In  connection  with  this  story  it  should  be  noted  that 
the  convent  in  which  she  was  imprisoned  was  not  one 
of  cloistered  nuns.  I  ntil  the  end  of  the  fifteenth 
century  they  bore  the  title  of  '  canonesses ' ;  they  were 
under  the  government  of  an  abbess,  but  took  no  solemn 
vows,  wore  no  veils,  and  could  even  leave  the  convent 
and  marrv.  The  convent  itself  was  under  a  sort  of 
tutelage  of  the  Doge.  It  had  been  founded 

'  ...  ,       ,         GaWc£ioli,vi.sS. 

and    endowed    at    the     beginning    of    the 

O  c^ 

thirteenth  century  by  the  Doge  Pietro  Ziani,  together 
with  a  church  dedicated  to  the  \  irgm 

(iiustnid  Renter 

Mary,  and  became  the   common    residence   Afic/iiel,  Origini 
of   manv  noble  ladies,  and  of   many  noble 
girls  who  were  educated  there.       1  he  Doge  conferred  the 
investiture  upon  the  abbess,  according  to  the  custom  of 
those  times,  bv  means  of  a  golden  ring,  and  once  a  vear 

O  O 

he  went  to  visit  the  convent.  1  his  was  in  the  month 
of  Mav;  and  after  hearing  mass  the  Doge  went  into 

j     7  O  O 

the  parlour,  where  the  abbess  received  him,  being 
dressed  in  a  magnificent  white  mantle,  with  two  veils 

O 

upon  her  head,  one  white  and  the  other  black.  Sin- 
presented  the  Doge  with  a  small  bunch  of  flowers,  set 
in  a  golden  handle,  for  which  the-  Doge  expressed  his 
thanks  in  a  set  form.  The  Doge  Soran/o  must  have 


nom     through     tills     tillU'tloIl     IIKIIU     tlllleS     \\hllc    lllS    OWI1 

daughter  \\as  a  prisoner  in  rlu-  nunnerv,  and  nor  allowed 
[ii  assist  in  the  ceremonv.  I  he-  old  building  ot  the 
Verdun  \\as  destnned  h\  Hre  in  i  ^"5,  bur  was  restored 
\\itb  iMvater  splendour  rlian  before  as  a  place  lor  edu- 
cating noble  \  riu-tian  <Mrls. 

It  must  not  In-  supposed  that  tin-  convent  had  barred 
windows,  nor  that  rhere  were  gratings  at  rhe  parlour 
door,  t'roin  lu-huul  which  the  no\  ice  never  returned 
au.ain  to  the  outer  world,  (iratm^s  and  bars  and  the 
strict  cloister  were  nor  introduced  into  rhe  rules  ot 
Irahan  nuns  until  much  later,  when  rhe  Church  was 
obliged  to  eheck  rhe  <_M-a\e  abuses  \\liich  had  (M'aduallv 
crept  into  coment  lite.  In  the  rune  ot  Soran/a,  and 
particularK  in  rlu  com  ent  ot  the  \ergini,  there  \\as 
much  tit(doin,  and  an\  reasonabk-  excuse  \\as  ailnutted 
tor  alloumo  tin-  canonesses  to  LI.O  our  into  rhe  citv; 
the\  not  int  rei  jiienrb  \isited  their  relations,  and  e\  "ell 
sfi  >pped  \s.  ith  t  hem  in  t  he  ci  nun  r\  . 

Sor. m/; i  hail  been  placed  in  custod\  in  a  little  house- 
that  ~A, is  built  against  the  \\all  ot  rhe  coiuent;  its  door 
had  tuo  thtlet'enr  ke\  s,  OIK-  ot  \\hich  uas  ^i\eii  to  tin- 
abbi  -  •.  and  the  other  to  tin  housekeeper  sister,  so  that 
tin  t  u  o  \\  rre  <  ibllLied  to  en ti-l"  together,  a  lid  \\  bile  ('liard- 
ni"  tin  n  prisoner  tlu\  \\atched  each  other.  Soran/a 
\\  a  •>  .dlo\\ed  i  :;<  \\onian  ser\ant,  \\lio  \\as  allou'ed  to  <^o 
''in  in  ordei  to  \\ash  linen,  but  she  \\as  \\arned  that  she 
M'lild  be  coiulenuied  to  a  hea\\  tine  it  the  smallest  bit 
oi  A  t  It  1  ULI  \\  el'e  e\  ei  found  upon  her, 

'•in   \tars  Soran/a  languished  uncomplammo  in  her 


vii  CONSPIRACIES  245 

narrow  dwelling.      1  hen  she  appealed  to  the  Council  of 

Ten    for    permission    to    walk    in    the    convent    garden. 

The    Council    allowed    her    this    hbertv    for    only    four 

months.      Fearing   that    it   would    not    he    continued    to 

her  she   wrote   again    before   the   term    expired,   to   beg 

that  it  might  be  extended,  representing  that  she  could 

not  live  without  a  little  air;    and  the  Council  made  the 

permission  permanent. 

At  last  it  was  known  that  Niccolo  was  dead,  stabbed 
bv  an  unknown  hand,  and  Soran/a  was  a  widow;  never- 
theless, for  the  sake  of  the  name  she  vet  bore,  the 
Republic  still  treated  her  as  a  prisoner.  Amongst  the 
archives  of  the  Council  of  1  en  are  found  more  than 
sixtv  documents  concerning  her,  and  there  are  letters 
from  her  entreating  to  be  allowed  to  visit  her  father, 
the  Doge,  at  the  ducal  palace,  or  to  go  and  take-  care  of 
a  sick  friend.  Sometimes  she  obtained  what  she  asked, 
sometimes  the  most  innocent  indulgences  were  refused 
her,  and  it  is  clear  that  the-  Republic  did  not  mean  her 
to  think  that  she  could  have  anything  otherwise  than  as 
a  special  favour. 

\Yhen  Soran/a  breathed  her  last  in  the  little  house 
that  had  been  her  prison,  she  had  occupied  it  for  twentv- 
rive  vears.  During  the-  last  ten  vears,  however,  the 
wife  of  Andreolo  Ouinm  was  confined  with  her. 

She  was.  not  the-  last  of  those  unhappv  ladies  who 
had  been  exiled  with  their  husbands.  In  1^20  a  man 
called  Riccio  arrived  in  \  enice,  bringing  the-  head  of 
Pietro  Ouinm  who  had  been  treacherously  assassinated 
bv  an  'unknown'  hand  —  possibly  the  hand  of  Riccio 


OIT.ANINCiS    FROM    HISTORY 


VII 


M-lt",  \\lio  brought  the  victim's  head  in  order  to 
claim  his  tee.  I'utro  lett  a  widow,  still  voung.  who  at 
once  asked  permission  to  conu-  home  to  \enice.  She 
\\  as  told  plainlv  that  it  she  had  no  children  and  expected 
none  she  niiidit  re-turn,  but  that  otherwise  she  must 
remain  in  exile  'at  the  disposal  ot  the  1  en.' 


hi  tin  t'ilio\\mn  vear  another  Niccolo  Ounini  died 
ahi'it,!,  ,  .iiu!  his  \\ido\s  was  allowed  to  return  on  con- 
dition n|  living  m  a  convent,  llevei  to  ^o  out  \\ithoiit 
permission  <  >t  the  Council  ot  1  en.  She  had  m  \enice 
a  di  .''ted  admirer,  one  \n^elo  l>emho,  \\lio  obtained 
1  >•  r:i  M  •• -ioi i  to  i,i\i  her  placed  in  the  cotnent  ot  Santa 
\lana  di  \  al\erde,  on  the  island  of  Ma/./orbo,  a  lovelv 


vii  CONSPIRACIES  247 

and  retired  spot,  where  seclusion  would  be  more 
bearable  than  in  the  city.  '1  he  voung  widow  seems  to 
have  made  good  use  ot  her  stav  there,  tor  the  papers 
in  the  archives  ot  the  J  en  which  concern  her  contain 
the  information  that  she  soon  afterwards  married  her 
friend,  and  was  allowed  to  return  to  the  world.  She 
had  recovered  all  her  liberty  bv  the  mere  change  of 
name. 

As  some  justification  tor  this  excessive  rigour  on  the 
part  of  the  government,  it  should  be-  remembered  that 
the  exiled  1  iepolo  and  Ouinm  families  had  never  ceased 
to  plot  against  the  Republic  after  their  defeat,  both  in 
the  countries  where  thev  were  allowed  to  live  and  in 
Venice  itself,  by  means  ot  agents.  A  letter  ot  tin- 
Council  of  1  en  confers  upon  redengo  Dandolo  and 
Mann  Falier  full  powers  to  get  rid  ot  the  obnoxious 
Bajamonte,  in  anv  way  thev  might,  tor  the  good  ot  the 
countrv.  1  he  note  is  dated  in  I  ^2S.  1<  rom  that  time 
forward  his  name  was  never  pronounced  in  council,  nor 
mentioned  in  anv  document;  and  it  mav  be  supposed 
that  he,  like  Niccolo  Ouirmi,  came  to  his  end,  murdered 
hv  some  emissarv  of  the  Republic.  1  he  tact  that  we  find 
no  allusion  in  the  subsequent  history  of  Mann  1'alier  to 
the  part  he  possibly  plaved  in  that  side  tra<u-dv  is  not 
evidence  that  he  tailed  to  carrv  out  his  instructions. 

A   careful   examination   ot   earlv   documents   seems  to 
show    that    the    Council     ot      1  en     existed     before    the 
I  K-polo-Oumni   conspiracv,  which    is   <u-n-   ArmanJ n 
eralh'   held    to   be   the   circumstance   which 
called     it     into     existence.        It     is      certain,     however, 


i  KM  1:1  eaihcr  runes  tin-  Council  li;ul  nor  such  <M"eat 
iripi  >!  i  a nrc,  and  it  \\as  alwavs  more  or  less 
a  temporary  athnr  until  tin-  vear  i  ^5.  I  en 
magistrates,  \\h<>  \\eiv  called  together,  on  tin-  invasion 
lit  ilu-  coiispu 'ac\  ,  tn  form  a  sort  of  court  martial,  sj;a\;. 
tluir  nuliiMieius,  hut  In  no  means  in  an  arbitrary 
mantuT.  I  hev  \\ere  elected  for  a  nc!  loci  not  much 
longer  than  tlnvc  months,  \\hich  was  to  expire  on 
Saint  Michael's  l)a\.  September  2u,  a  ila\'  al\\a\s  kept 
as  a  u.ivat  ti'Stnal  in  \inicr.  l>:;t  \\l;rn  that  clatr 
\\  a s  I'raclu  cl,  it  ajipi'.irt-il  ;'ccrssar\'  to  prolong  the  time 
of  their  po\\i-r,  as  rluir  task  '.vas  not  \  et  Hnishc-cl;  tor 
it  coiisisf-il  not  onh  m  punishing  the  mnlt\',  hut  also 
in  cliiseh  \\atchniL'.  the  immediate  consequences  of  the 


ii     same    extension    \\as    Li  ran  ted     a^ain 
,;iii!    aL'.nn,    until    t!u-    !n|lo\\uiii    \ear,   \\hen    :t    \\as    iK- 
[(i:m;iid    tn    estahhsh    the    trihunal    tor    a    term    ol     ti\e 
.  appointing  if^  memhi-rs  ane\\,  ho\\t-\er,  on  i-vi-r\ 
,  N-,  i\(      Saint      \  lie  liar!  >     I)a\.          I  liese     ti\e     \ears 
:   pas>nl.  a    further  decree  prolonged  the   trihunal's 
.     •  i  is  mi  )i\-.   and  so  on.       1'  ma  ll\  .  m    I  ^  ^, 

11  1    to   he    permanent,    und<  r    an    i-xtrc-nu-h 

1  if     !  file  .    calif       the    '    \\  Hr.'    \\rll    dr\  1    ed    tor    a 

ii     M    i >1    tin-    \  i  i  \    important    atl  a irs 
t  i     '  '  •'         (  >n  election,  e\  er\    member  of  t  he 


PONTE    VENETA    MARINA 


VIL  THK   COUNCIL   OK   TEN  249 

counsellors  such  things  as  I  shall  believe  useful  to  the 
honour  and  preservation  ot  our  countn  ;  and  1  swear  to 
obey  our  Lord  the  Doge  and  to  do  what  the  heads  ot  the 
Ten  shall  command  me.  ...  I  hind  myself  to  keep 
secret  whatever  is  said  or  commanded  to  me,  concerning 
all  matters  which  may  be  proposed  by  the  said  Council, 
communicated  or  discussed  in  the  sittings,  and  con- 
cerning am  letters  or  reports  which  mav  be  communi- 
cated to  us,  etc.,  etc.' 

1  he  ordinary  meetings  ot  the  I  en  were  held  by  dav 
in  the  ducal  palace;  not  in  a  room  hung  with  black 
and  teeblv  lighted,  as  some  have  written  and  believed, 
but  in  a  hall  appointed  tor  that  purpose  bv  the  Doge, 
until  one  should  be  properly  furnished  and  decorated 
tor  the  tribunal.  I  nder  extraordinary  circumstances 
the  Council  also  met  by  night.  All  sittings  began  with 
an  invocation  to  the  I  !ol\  Spirit.  1  hese  sittings  were 
never  attended  bv  the  I  en  onlv  ;  from  the-  time  ot  the 
institution  ot  the  tribunal,  the  Doge  and  his  counsellors, 
one  avogador  ot  the-  commonwealth  and  the-  High 
Chancellor,  who,  it  should  be  remembered,  was  not  a 
noble,  were  also  obliged  to  be  present.  I  lie  imagina- 
tion ot  postcntv,  amused  bv  fantastic  talcs  which  have 
no  historic  basis,  has  lent  this  tribunal  a  character  of 
m\  sterv  and  arbitrary  authority  which  it  never  possessed, 
as  is  proved  hv  documents  still  in  existence.  In  all 
trials,  after  the-  accusation  had  been  read, 
the  defence  was  heard  immediately,  and 
when  the-  defendant  was  not  able  to  conduct  his  own 
case,  a.  law  of  144^  allowed  him  to  be  represented  bv  a 


•- 


lau\iT.  I  he  a\oo;idor  pur  the  following  question  to 
tlii  I  en  :  '  \ccoi  dniLL  t( '  \\  hat  has  hi -en  read  and  said,  is 
it  \  our  opinion  that  the  accuseil  should  he  condemn-,  d  .' 
Sometimes  the  following  question  was  asked  :  '  Is  it  vour 
op, mon  that  the  accused,,  in  consequence  of  \\hat  has 
In  en  ahead\  heard,  should  he  put  to  the  torture,  in 

>rdi  i  10  ohtain  from  him  the  whole  truth,  and  further 
details;  or  that  the  court  should  proceed,  as  having 
alivad\  sutficienr  proof  of  his  mult:'  1  he  Council  ot 

I  en  couKl  not  impose  lines;  their  sentences  necessanK' 
affected  the  hod\  ot  the  condemned  person.  V.  hen  a 
\oti-  had  decided  that  tin  accused  \\as  convicted,  each 
nirmlu-r  ot  the  (  oimcil  coidd  propose  the  punishment 
\\hich  he  tlioimln  tit,  hut  ir  \\  a  s  no-  usual  to  propose 
am  mote  M-UT<  pi-nalt\  than  'hat  asked  for  i>\  the 
a\o«^ador.  Me  \\as  the  first  to  make  the  proposition, 
t  In  n  ea  me  the  heads  oj  the  I  e!l,  t  hi  n  t  u  Done  s  coun- 
•(llors,  and  last  ui  all  the  !)o'_.(  himself.  I'.ach  pn>- 
PI  isa  \\  a  s  halloi  ed  lor,  e\  er\'  member  of 
tin  (  oiincil  it  taming  the  nidit  to  propose 
.1  diminution  i>i  commutation  of  the  sentence,  or  to  ask 
•  a  ,  trial. 

.    that    tin     Council    ot     I  en    had    a    hind    tor 

i       till       li  ill  I  teetlt  ll     Cetltll  IT.  I  t 

•  >  I   ,i          a   '.   a  rmoti  r\  . 

•  •'    "'  thai    on   more  than  one  i  iccasn  >n 

it  i  a  •    •        t   t  hi      I  en   \\  ,i     pi  if  irmed 

1 1  t    m  a  n  ni  i  ;     >  et   i  i    does   not   a  npea  r 

•  nti  ii''i    had  heeil  passed 

mot  i\  i    1 1  I  nci\    hut 


vii  THK   COUNCIL   OF   TEX  251 

only  because  prudence  required  that  the  public  should 
not  be  allowed  to  express  an  opinion  on  the  matter. 
It  may  be  remarked  that  in  European  countries  the 
procedure  nowadays  is  often  similar  in  court-martials. 
It  \ve  take  a\vav  the  right  of  torture,  the  violet  cloaks 
and  hoods  of  the  seven,  and  the  red  hoods  of  the  three 
chiefs  in  a  word,  it  we  erase  from  the  picture  the 
medi;e\  al  setting  of  the  Council  of  1  en  which  looks 
theatrical  to  us,  we  mav  find  that  after  all  there  is  not 
such  grave  cause  tor  accusing  the  famous  \  enetian 
tribunal  of  arbitrary  crueltv.  I  he  proceedings  of"  a 
military  court-martial  in  our  own  times  are  often  quite 
as  secret  and  expeditious,  and  much  more  summary. 

I  he  manner  in  which  the  members  of  the  Council 
were  elected  shows  clearlv  enough  that  the  abuse  of 
authority  was  always  feared  on  their  part.  In  the  year 
i^io  it  was  decreed  that  no  two  persons  who  were 
relatives  might  sit  together  in  the  Council,  and  that  when 
a  relative  of  anv  member  was  to  be  tried,  that  member 
should  be-  excluded  from  the  sitting.  1  he  members 
soon  ceased  to  be  elected  on  Saint  Michael's  Dav;  and 
in  order  that  greater  prudence  might  be  exercised  in 
choosing  them,  thev  were  elected  one  at  a  time  at  the 
meetings  of  the  (ircat  Council  as  each  one's  term 
expired.  I  mil  I  ^50,  when  a  place  was  to  be-  tilk-d, 
two  candidates  were  proposed,  and  sometimes  there  were 
c\en  three  nominations.  No  member  of  the  Council  of" 
1  en  might  recent'  gifts  under  pain  of  immediate  death, 
nor  was  anv  salarv  attached  to  the-  other.  At  the  end 
of  their  term  thev  went  back  into  pn\ate  lite,  and  wi-re 


-  v 


(ii   !.\M\(iS    I-'ROM     HISTORY  vu 


nut  protected  in  ;m\'  way  (mm  such  accusations  as 
illicit  lu-  hn>u!_dit  against  rlu-ni  tor  their  notions  during 
t lu-ir  administration. 

Nearly     titty     years    after    the    date    of     the      I  icpolo- 
(  hin  mi  conspiracy,    \umist   4,    i  -j-^>,  a   nuniher  of   rules 
\\ere    introduced,    to    increase    the-    seventy    with    which 
the   powers  of   the  I'ouncil   of     I  en   miidit   he-  exercised, 
and  at   the  same  nine  to  ensure  justice  in  their  dealings 
\\ith  criminal  cases.       It   is  amply  proved  In    documents 
df    the   fourteenth   ceiitur\   that   in  the  ma]ont\'  of   cases, 
though    possihK    in    those   \\hicli   \\'ere   con- 
sideri-d    of     minor    importance,    there    was 
neither   m\  ster\    nor   secrc-c\    ahout   the   nieetmos   <>t   the 
1  en,  ami  that,  on  the  contrar\  ,  the  door  of  their  place- 
lit  meet  in  i;  \\  as  sometimes  open  to  the  puh  ic.       No  other 
meaning  can  he  attached  to  the    a\\   of    I57v  ^nich  \\as 
passt  d  m  order  to  hunt  the  too  oreat  faciht\   of   m^ress  to 
tin    hall  ot  tlu  11   meetings, on  the  ground  that  the  proceed- 
ing '  iiLihi   he  pre]iidicetl  In   too  much  puhhcitx",  as  thcv 
\\d'(    constaiith    interrupted    In    (lie   persons   present,   so 
that     practicalK     am     one     nnvjit     \\atch    the    trials,    as 
I'lamn   sa\s,  e\en   in  cases  o)   the  highest  importance. 
1  in  '<      .'  a-    m  't  i    at    an\    time  the   least    tendency  to  di- 
h    tin  !  I.M  act '  T    i  if    the   t  rihuna     in   i  >rder  t( » 

ciM't'  '    up  in    it    an    aihitrai"\    po\\er,   since    it   disposed  of 
o    pi  i\\  ei  f  ul    .1  -    to    place    i!    a  h<  >\  e    t  he  need    <  »f 
ha     hern      nd,  alt  hono  h  t  he    I  en   \s~ere  all 
1  loni     tin      1,1  .Inht  \  ,     i  In      I  I  rjh     (  'liancelli  >r    was 


vii  TI1K   COUNCIL   OF   TKN  25.$ 

that  the  citr/ens,  whose  chief  representative  he  was, 
were  all  witnesses  of  whatsoever  the  I  en  accomplished. 
On  the  whole,  A  I.  Baschet  is  right  in  saying  that  the 
Council's  activitv  was  chiefly  exercised  against  the 
nohles  themselves  for  the  protection  ot  the  people. 

It  undoubtedly  disposed  of  great  powers,  and  no  one 
could  expect  a  tribunal  to  be  infallible  in  those  times, 
or  perhaps  in  am'  other;    but  though  the    1  en  were  no 
doubt  sometimes  guilt}'  of  grave  mistakes,     /,'«///.///.,-/. 
they  were  never  at  any  time  the  instrument 
of  a  tyrannical  government  for  oppressing  the  poor  and 
innocent. 

1  hey  elected  three  heads  even'  month,  whose  dutv 
it  was  to  conduct  the  affairs  ot  the  Council,  to  stuck' 
the  cases  it  was  to  trv,  and  to  see  to  the 

.  /.    Inlfcllft, 

execution  of  its   judgments.       1  he  Council    .-/>-<•//  ^XJ-.A 
had  under  its  immediate  control  the  execu- 
tives ot  its   justice,  which  consisted  ot   a   large  force  of 
police,  controlled   hv  six  principal  officers,   and   bv  the 
so-called   '.Missier  Grande,'   who   was   the   head   of  the 
whole   body. 

1  he   criminal    and    political    prisons   were    under   the 
special  supervision  ot  the  Doge  himself  during  the  first 
half  of  the  fourteenth  centurv,  and  it  was 
the  dutv  of  two  ot   his  counsellors  to   visit 
rhem   once   everv   month,   and   to   make   inquirv   of   the 
prisoners    confined    there    concerning    their    wants    and 
wishes.      During   the    second    half    of    the    ccnturv    this 
supervision    and   the  dutv  of    visiting   became  a  part  (  t 
the  office  of  the  heads  of  the    Ten.      I   shall  attempt  to 


( ,i  i.  \M\(;S  FROM  msTom         vii 

di  scnhc  in  passing  tin-  state  ot  rlu-  prisons  in  which 
criminals  ami  persons  accused  ot  grave  crimes  were 
confined  m  flu-  fourteenth  ccnrurv,  these  only  having 
hecll  lliuler  the  sllper\  isioli  ot  the  J  ell. 

in   the  tirsr   place,  tlu-re  \vcre  certain  narrow  hut   not 
unhealthy  prisons  in  the  tower  which  formerly  existed 
at    the    east    end    ot    tin-    ducal    palace,    ami 
these   were   on    the   same-   floor   as   the    hall 
where    the    Council    ot     I  en    met,    and    wt'R    called    the 
'upptr'     prisons.      Accused     persons    were 
generally   kept   here  during  their  trial.      In 
1321    an    order   was    issued    tor   tin-   construction   ot    tin- 
so-called    'lower      prisons,    which    tin-    common    people 
atteruards    called    '  po//i,     wells;     and    these    were    un- 
douhteilh    hideous   and    narrow   cells,   thouidi   prohahly 
nor    \\orse    than    those    in    list-    at    that    rime    in    other 
countries.       I  lu  \    are  nor  hclou  tin-  K-\el  ot  tin-  ground, 
o]   rather  oi  the  water,  as  no\  eh.sts  ha\  e  dcscnhed  them  ; 
mi    the    tact    that    criminals    descended    to    them    trom 
the    hall    of    rln     rrihunal    In     means    ot    a    little    stair- 
les>   than    a    \ard    \\ule,    which    soon    lu-came   (juite 
,  and  the  sound  <}\  the  lapping  u'ater  outside,  helped 
to   HIM-   tl),    prisoner  the   impression   that    he  was  hem^ 
t.i'-vi  ii    do\\n    a  i\  i    into   ;,    tomh   du;j,  tleep   in   the  earth, 
although    In-   \\as    acrualk    on    the    le\el    of 
tin    courtvard.       \    small    door   in   the   wall 
coiirtvard    u  a  ^    openeil    in     14  r-    m    order    that 
'ami  \     of     \ntoi     I'isam    miL;hr    enter    the    prison 
in.     \\as    1\  ni'j.    tin!',     ill,    and    it    was    atter\\ards 
'    Ins  i  xpensi  .      (  )p  [!>,•  sid(    0}  the  canal  was  a 


vii  PRISONS    AM)    PRISONERS  255 

corridor,  little  more  than  a  van!  wide,  and  faced  with 
marble,  through  which  escape  was  impossible.  I  pon 
this  opened  the  doors  of  certain  very  small  cells, 
marked  with  Roman  numerals,  in  which,  for  some 
reason  now  impossible  to  explain,  the  '\  '  was  always 
turned  upside  down.  1  he  cells  were  completely  lined 
with  deal,  but  received  air  only  from  the  dark  corridor 
through  an  aperture  in  the  door  about  eight  inches 
square.  1  he  prisons  on  the  other  side,  towards  the 
harbour,  had  various  names,  among  which 

,  r    <  A  /r      •        >  i      A'"m-  "'•  75- 

we  mav  mention  that  of  Alosma  and 
'Liona';  then  such  names  as  1  he  Refreshing  Joy,' 
I  he  \  ulcan,'  '1  he  Strong/  '1  he  Lightless,'  and  other 
similar  epithets,  probably  suggested  b\'  the  grim  humour 
of  the  gaolers,  l.ntil  1.357  tne  counsellors  of  the  Doge 
went  do\'.  n  into  these  places  every  month;  and  at  that 
time  the  heads  of  the  I  en  inquired  into  the  state  of  each 
individual  prisoner,  and  gave  an  account  thereof  to  the 
Doge  and  to  the  Council.  1  here  also  the  prisoner  was 
allowed  to  speak,  probably  through  the  little  aperture  in 
the  door,  with  his  attorney,  if  he  feared  lest  he-  should 
be  unable  to  defend  himself  when  called  to  justice.  1  o 
this  place  came  also  at  night  the  monk  whose  dutv  it 
was  to  comfort  the  last  hours  of  such  unfortunates  as 
had  received  sentence  of  death,  either  hv  hanging  be- 
tween the  columns  of  the  Pia/./etta.  or,  as  frequently 
happened,  at  the  place  where  the  crime  was  committed, 
or  in  the  cell,  it  the  tribunal  had  decreed  that  the 
prisoner  should  be  strangled.  Sometimes,  though  more 
rarelv,  the  sentence  was  this,  'that  to-night  So-and-so 


In  londik'teil  to  the  Ortano  C'anal,  with  Ins  hands  tied 
In  hind  his  hack  aiul  \\  eiidits  fastened  to  his  hodv,  aiul 
Irt  him  In  tlro\\ned,  and  let  him  die. 

I    shall   ha\e  oecasion  to  speak   further  ot   the  prisons 
.is   ilu\    \\el~i    in   tile   sixti'elitll   and   eighteenth  eeiitui'ies. 


VIII 

OX  MANNERS  AND  CERTAIN  CUSTOMS   IN 
THE   FOURTEENTH   CENTURY 

IN  the  natural  order  <>t  things  ir  is  now  time  to  suv 
a  few  words  about  tin-  manners  and  customs  ot  the 
Venetians  in  the  fourteenth  centurv.  Owing  to  lack  ot 
documents  the  subject  is  bv  no  means  an  easv  one.  An 
ideal  history  would  be  a  caretul  account  ot  the  dailv 
doings  and  habits  ot  a  nation,  concisely  told  and  not 
out  ot  proportion  with  the  greater  events  ot  \\hich  an 
account  is  due.  Such  a  histor  would  be  a  fascinatin 


(il  I. AMNCiS    FROM    HISTORY  »i.i 

tali-,  though  u  mi<dit  In-  an  almost  interminable  one. 
\s  in  ;m  endless  L^allerv,  the-  \\nter  would  show  his 
readers  an  unbroken  series  ot  pictures,  and  the  mind 
\\ould  In-  led  \\ithout  surprise,  but  without  a  moment  s 
duhu-ss  or  boredom,  from  the  beginning  to  the  end  oi 
a  people  s  ca  i  eel . 

I  nhappdv  no  such  method  can  ever  be-  e\eti 
attempted  \\heiv  the  remote  past  is  concerned.  1  he 
men  and  \\omen  ot  those-  times  h\ed  their  own  dailv 
lives,  found  tlu-iii  nor  alwavs  interesting,  and  passed 
awav  without  leaving  us  a  single  true  record  of  twentv- 
four  hours  in  tin-  lite  of  a  man  or  a  \\oman.  ^  et  how 
intensely  interesting  e\'en  one  such  record  would  be! 
1  lo\\  the  \\earv  historian,  seeking  tor  tin-  simple  derails 
(it  some  simple  lite  six  hundred  vears  a<_M>,  longs  to 
disco\er  a  Horace  \\  a  pole,  a  Madame  de  Se\  igne,  or 
most  (if  all  a  1'aston  tamih,  amongst  the  \tllo\\  and 
dust\  archi\es!  Soun-thmg,  however,  mav  still  be  L!,ot 
toLiether  to  L!,i\e  an  ulea  of  what  the  non-political,  non- 
histonca  \emce  was  in  the  thirteenth  and  fourteenth 

Cellt  II  I'leS. 

I--    lu  ^m    \\ith,    though    the    Republic    m-\er   sho\\  ed 

much    inclination   to   su  >nut    to   ;m\-   dictation   from   the 

P''P'  -.  the  \  eiu  tiaiis  \\eie  a   practicalh    i'eh^ioiis  jn-ople 

and  i  \i\'(  m  el  \   cha  ritable.       \\  it  li  the  possible  exceptions 

'''     Rome    ai,.'    !' loreiice.    no    ritv    ot     Itab     possessed    at 

that   tune   sti   ni.iin    hospu  es   tor  tin    poor  and   hospitals 

fi'i    tin    siek  ;    and  coiisuh  ii IILI  the  necessa r\-  limitations 

ill    ,  M;i  h:  nt  h  1 1  .p\    at    that    earb    period,  those    uistitu- 

.'.<  ie    managed     and     kept     up    \\ith     astonishing 


vni  MANNERS    AND    CUSTOMS  259 

intelligence  and  care.  I  have  no  intention  of  compiling 
a  catalogue  of  the  buildings  in  which  old  people,  invalids, 
widows,  and  pilgrims  found  a  temporary  or  a  perma- 
nent refuge,  as  the  case  might  he;  hut  it  is  worth  while 
to  notice  here  and  there  the  sensitive  delicacy  with 
which  charm  was  often  exercised,  and  which  seems  so 
little  in  harmony  with  the  nature  of  the  more  impor- 
tant historical  events  of  the  period. 

J  here  is  something  very  touching,  for  instance,  in 
the  origin  of  the  Ca'  di  Dio  —  literally,  'The  House  of 
God/  as  the  old  building  is  called  to  this  a/ohm-iiti,  Cain  e 
day.  In  the  vear  1272,  one  of  those  pious 
souls  that  feel  the  true  and  natural  intuitions  of  charity 
came  across  that  saddest  sort  of  misery  which  exists  here 
and  therein  the  world,  hiding  itself  as  far  as  possible  from 
every  eye,  and  preferring  actual  starvation  and  death  to 
the  humiliation  of  asking  alms.  'J  hese  "poor  people  were 
ladies  of  good  birth,  reduced  to  a  condition  in  which 
they  positively  had  neither  a  crust  to  eat  nor  a  place 
to  lay  their  heads.  'I  lie  charitable  person  \\  ho  found 
them  here  and  there-  gathered  them  at  first  into  a  refuge 
with  other  poor  women  where  thev  could  at  least  live 
and  die  in  peace,  but,  even  in  the  simplicity  of  those 
davs,  he  soon  understood  that  it  was  moral  torture  for 
a  starving  patrician  woman,  or  the  widow  of  some'  high 
magistrate  of  the  Republic,  to  share  bed  and  board  with 
the-  poor  widows  of  sailors,  fishermen,  and  artisans,  and 
he  created  for  them,  out  of  sheer  delicacy  and  kindness 
of  heart,  a  separate  refuge  in  the  Ca'  di  l)io,  where 
thev  could  en|ov  something  more  than  the  illusion  of 


.i  litum-,  .iiul  \\huv  tlu-\  \\ere  ;it  lt-;ist  blessed  with  that 
pri\ac\  \\hich  is  almost  rlu-  hrst  ami  last  necessity  of 
rlu-  \\ell-horn. 

(  >nr  is  reminded  ot  rlu-  niK-s  <>t  that  Horentme  C'on- 
tYatermtv  lor  the  relief "of  rlu-  'poor  who  felt  shame,'  a 
hod\  ro  \\hich  Dante  heloimed.  l>\  those  rules  the 
brethren  were  bound  ro  LM\e  assistance  without  hiring 
tin  hood  rhar  covered  tlu-ir  laces,  or  iM\in<i  tlu-ir 
nanu'S,  or  in  ;m\  \\a\  lu-travm^  rlu-ir  individuality,  K-st 
tin  poor  person  whom  rhe\  helped  should  he  in  some 
derive  humiliated.  I  hi^  realh  exquisite  dehcacv  ot 
Iri-hni;  ^ho\\i-il  itself  m  the  \er\'  midst  ol  the  \\orst  and 
h<.-rcest  ijiiarrels  <>t  (  iiielph  and  (  Ihihellme,  and  the  rule 
«\  the  C'ont  ratei'mr\  expresslv  commanded  the  brothers 
to  help  their  toes  as  freelv  as  their  tnends,  and  to 
he  especiallv  caretul  never  to  do  anvrlmiLi  \\hich  could 
hmmhati  an  eiienu  m  distress. 

I  In-  chronu'les  ot    I- loi\-iux-  say  nothmsj;  ot  that,  and 

it  rhr  \  enetian  historians  mention  the  C'a    di  l)io  ;it  all, 

u    is  t»nh    m   flu    most   passing  \\a\.       Rut  the   historical 

.',  !itt-i>    o|    both    cities    caretullv    record    tin-    murders, 

mtiLis,    and    st;ihhm^s    \\lncli    hrouoht    disaster   on 

tin  u      iti/i  ns.      >hoiiKl  nor  a  true  historv  ot  cnihsarion 

•    '  tm  '     '  mint  also  the  tea  rs  that  cha  nt\  has  dried  and 

'i^'Msl1  she  has  helped  tii  soothe  ".        I  he  chroniclers 

iiiul    m    accounts    o|    tin     trials,    tin-    sentences,    and 

utii'tis    .if    tin-    fourteenth    centurv;     the\'    can 

part    .1   line  to  till  us  how  tin    I  )o^e  and  mam' 

•     '  'in    pt  I'M  His    hea  rd    mass    dai  \     at    da\\  n    and 

iht    Hthee   lor  rlu-   Dead   m   Saint    Mark's.      \Ve 


viii  MAXXKRS   AND   CUSTOMS  261 

know  with  the  utmost  exactness  the  precise  number  ot 
light  ladies  who  were  living  in  Venice  ]ust  then:  there 
were  eleven  thousand  six  hundred  and  rittv  Gailiccioii,vi. 

a  respectable,  or  rather  a  disreputable, 
number  tor  a  city  ot  two  hundred  thousand  inhabitants. 
The  quarter  of  the  Castelietto,  which  had  originally  been 
given  over  to  them,  no  longer  sufficed  tor  their  needs, 
and  they  lived  very  much  where  thev  pleased. 

\\  e    know   these   things,    but    few    remember  that    at 
that  verv  time  a  gentle  beseeching  voice  was  heard  every 
evening  in  the  streets  and  squares  ot  \  emce,     nfmb,<,  /;,•//,•- 
crying  out  'Pity,  pity!'      It  was  the  voice 
ot    a    poor    monk    slowly    pursuing    his    way    under   the 
balconies  ot  the  irreat  palaces,  and  through  the  narrower 

O  I  f""1 

wavs  where  the  rich  middle  class  had  chosen  its  abode, 
tor  ever  asking  alms  tor  the  poor  little  children  whom  he 
found  nightlv  thrust  out,  new-born,  to  die  in  the  streets 
betore  morning,  even  as  is  done  to  this  day  in  China. 
And  though  it  was  \  emce  that  cast  her  children  out 
to  perish  thus,  yet  \  emce  poured  alms  into  the  poor 
monk's  hands  so  abundantly  that  his  labours  prospered 
beyond  his  highest  hopes.  A  lady  ot  the  DolHm 
tamilv  gave  him  no  less  than  seventeen  houses  tor  his 
roundhngs,  and  vet  these  were  not  enough;  he  appealed 
to  the  government  tor  more  room;  and  this  same 
government,  which  seems  in  our  view  ot  its  historv  to 
be  tor  ever  deep  in  politics,  in  commerce,  and  above  all 
in  spvmg  upon  its  own  citr/ens,  answered  1'ra  Pieru/./o 
della  Pieta,  as  the  monk  was  called,  with  a  decree 
that  has  a  verv  human  and  tender  note  in  it.  It  was 


>">        (ii,i.\M\(;s  FROM  msTom 

declared  therein  that  the  hrtle  foundlings  should  bring 
blessings  and  fortune  to  all  honest  people  who  would 
otlet  them  a  home;  and  whosoever  adopted  one  ot 
the  children  was  therein  treclv  licensed  to  open  a  shop 
or  to  exchange  a  nu-an  and  vulgar  occupation  tor  one 
ot  rlie  nobler  arts.  Besides  this,  the  State  settled  upon 


rlu-  llo^pire  nt  rhc  I'uta  one-hall  ot  the  tines  imposed 
upi'M  i>  aspheiners,  \\hich  amounted  t<>  a  \er\  large  sum. 
I  In  religious  spirit  ot  \enice  in  the  thirteenth 
i-entur\  is  retiei'ted  noi  <uil\  m  the  public  chanties  <•{ 
tin  tunes,  but  also  m  tin  legends  that  ha\'e  come  down 
to  us,  fntmded  on  some  small  original  basis  ot  truth. 


vni  MANNT.RS    AND   CUSTOMS  263 

manv  writers  of  ail  nations  during  many  hundred  years. 
I  mean  the  storv  of  the  little  Countess  Tagliapietra. 

In  the  year  1288  a  noble  couple  dwelt  in  their 
palace,  not  far  from  the  home  of  Bajamonte  Tiepolo,  the 
great  conspirator,  in  the  central  parish  of  nta  dei/a 
Saint  Agostmo.  which  is  one  of  those  most  Ta^/Llfeira 
cut  up  b\  the  numberless  lanes  and  canals  Anonymous. 
which  cross  it  in  all  directions.  It  pleased  heaven  to 
send  a  little  girl  child  to  Count  Pier  Nicola  I  aghapietra 
and  his  wife  Klena,  one  onlv,  but  she  was  of  such 
exquisite  beauty  and  rare  loveliness  of  character  that  her 
parents  esteemed  themselves  more  blessed  than  those 
who  could  boast  of  ten  stalwart  sons.  \  rom  her  earliest 
vears  the  child  seemed  destined  to  sainthness,  and  her 
chiefest  pleasure  was  to  follow  her  mother  to  church,  for 
in  the  thirteenth  centurv  it  had  not  yet  become  the  cus- 
tom to  keep  inrls  closely  shut  up  at  home  from  year's 
end  to  vear's  end. 

I  he  title  of  Countess  was  unheard  of  in  \  emce  at 
that  time,  and  yet  every  account  of  the  legend  assigns 
it  to  the  little  saint.  Her  favourite  church  was  that  of 
San  Maiin/io,  and  the  little  Countess  sei/ed  everv 
possible  occasion  for  <u>mg  there;  sometimes  she  even 
went  alone,  for  everv  one  knew  her,  and  she  was  per- 
fectlv  sate  in  the  streets;  but  in  order  to  get  there  she 
was  obliged  to  cross  the  canal  in  a  boat  —  gondolas  did 
not  exist  in  that  day.  Now  her  father  entertained 
ambitious  projects  for  the  marriage  of  his  onlv  daughter; 
and  from  having  been  at  first  merelv  surprised  hv  her 
extreme  devoutness,  he  now  became  seriouslv  anxious 


204 


CI.K.  \NINCJS    FROM    HISTORY 


fur  IHT  tururc,  and  forbade  flu-  child  to  go  to  church 
except  on  t'east-davs  and  \\ith  IHT  mother.  Sin-  replied 
\\irh  ipiicr  decision  that  he-  had  no  right  to  impost-  such 
a  s  a  entice  upon  her,  and  she  continued  going  to  San 
.\lauri/io  every  da\.  I  ler  father  did  nor  wish  to  seem 
harsh  or  unkind,  ami  he  imagined  that  lie  could  gain 
his  end  hv  simplv  forbidding  the  boatmen  to  rake  her 
across  the-  canal.  Having  done  so,  and  having  doubt- 
less enforced  his  wishes  In  gi\  ing  the  men  moncv,  Pier 
Nicola  telr  perfectly  at  ease,  for  he  could  not  see  that 
rhe  <Mrl  had  any  chance  of  getting  to  San  Maun/io 
u  irhout  a  boat. 

On  rhe  following  morning  she  went  down  to  the 
'traghetto'  as  usual,  and  called  to  one  of  the  boatmen. 
One  after  the  other  rhev  all  refused  to  rake  her  over, 
explaining  that  they  were  actinu  under  her  father's 
orders.  I  In-  little  iurl  looked  at  them  all  s\\ectlv  \\ith 
deep  and  innocent  e\'es  ;  then,  without  tin-  least  hesita- 
tion, she  took  of!  her  little  apron,  spread  it  upon  the 
smooth  \\ati  r  of  rhe  canal,  and  stepped  upon  it  secureh' 
as  it  ir  had  been  rhe  largest  of  rhe  hoars. 

It  nor  'ink  carried  her  weight,  bur  be^an  to  mo\e 
•  it  its  nwn  accord,  and  bore  her  s\\ifrl\  across  to  the 
1  'pp.  IN  H  i  bank;  and  \\hen  rhe  boar  men  and  those  \\lio 
passed  h\  sa\\  \\hat  \\as  done  tlu\  ]-ais(-d  a  loud  cry 
and  praised  I  md  for  the  miracle  rhe\  had  seen,  and  it 
^A;IS  noKed  abroad  throughout  all  the  citv. 

I  he    tiisf    conse(]  uetH'e    seems    to    have    been    that    a 

'    number   <>t    \er\    i-h;nble    noble    youths    asked    tor 

file  \onn-  saint  in  marriage,  and  her  father  had  only  to 


vin  MAXNKRS   AND   CUSTOMS  265 

choose  amongst  so  many  brilliant  matches  the  one  best 
suited  to  his  taste;  but  the  child  steadfastly  refused 
matrimony,  and  declared  that  she  would  never  live  in 
the  world.  As  she-  grew  older  it  became  harder  and 
harder  to  sustain  the  struggle,  and  at  the  age  ot 
twenty  she  dailv  implored  God  to  deliver  her  from 
this  wicked  world.  And  so,  indeed,  it  pleased  heaven, 
lor  she  departed  this  life  on  the  Feast  of  All  Saints, 
in  the  vear  I  ^oS.  i  he  whole  city  followed  her  to 
the  grave,  numberless  wax  candles  were  lit  before  her 
tomb,  and  no  man  dared  to  extinguish  them.  Is  not 
the  voice  ot  the  people  the  voice  of  God  ?  '1  he  clergy 
would  not  interfere,  and  from  the  day  ot  her  death  the 
little  Countess  received  the  title  of  Beata,  and  the 
church  ot  San  \  ito,  where  she  was  buried,  became 
the  <roal  ot  constant  pilgrim  a  ires.  It  was  not  until  the 

O  I         O  O 

sixteenth  century  that  the  Church,  interfered  to  put 
limits  to  a  veneration  which  had  degenerated  to  a 
superstition.  It  was  no  longer  enough  to  invoke  the 
prayers  and  aid  ot  the  blessed  little  Countess;  it  had 
become  the  custom  to  open  her  coffin  at  stated  intervals, 
and  mothers  hud  their  infant  children  upon  her  bones 
to  preserve  them  from  the  danger  ot  drowning. 

Hut  now  the-  sepulchre  was  sealed,  the1  little  Countess 
was  officially  admitted  to  be  a  saint,  and  those'  who 
should  dare  to  profane  her  relics  with  am  super- 
stitious practice  were  threatened  with  immediate  ex- 
communication. 

Another  legend,  of  a  slightly  later  date,  has  been 
gloriously  handed  down  to  us  bv  the-  Dennis  ot  Pans 


>'">          CLKAMXr.S    FROM    HISTORY          vin 

liordone.      On  the  fifteenth  ot   1'ebruarv   1^40  a  terrific 

storm   hurst   upon  the  lagoons,  lashing  the 

.         .  . 

shallow  water  into  foam  a  ml  howl  ing  through 

the  narrow  canals  ami  (.lark  bvwavs  ot  the  city.  It  was 
late  at  niidit  \\hen  a  pool'  fisherman,  who  had  narrowly 
escaped  destruction,  ran  in  and  began  to  moor  his  boat, 
lie  had  not  finished  when  three  venerable  old  men,  ot 
majestic  countenance',  suddenly  appeared  out  of  the 
darkness  and  earnestly  begged  him  to  take  them  across 
the  lagoon  in  the  teeth  ot  the  gale.  1  he  fisherman 
hesitated,  and  was  on  the  point  of  refusing  a  request 
\\hich  seemed  most  unreasonable;  but  there'  was  some- 
thing in  the  faces,  in  the  manner,  gestures,  and  tone  of 
the  three  \\hich  imposed  itself  upon  him  in  spite  ot 
himself.  I  hcv  entered  the  stern  of  the  fishing  boat, 
ami  he  shoved  off  into  the  rough  \\ater,  which  was 
close  at  hand.  I  he  wind  howled,  the  trail  skiff  rocked 
as  it  she  would  eapsr/e,  the  salt  spray  blinded  the  poor 
man  as  he  stood  up  and  bent  to  his  oars  in  the  Italian 
fashion,  but  tin-  presence  of  tin  three  venerable  strainers 
nave  him  superhuman  strength  to  <M>  on. 

I  In  \  wen  already  far  out  upon  the  seething  \\ater 
\hen  an  appalling  vision  burst  upon  his  sioht.  In  the 
heart  'it  .1  black  squall  a  <j'eat  bar^e  full  of  hre  came 
fixing  towards  the  city,  and  the  tire  was  full  of  demons, 
and  h<  rv  fiends  suunu.  led-hot  oars  that  hissed  each 
tmit  rhe\'  dipped  into  tin  water.  I  he  poor  fisherman 
Liave  himself  up  for  lo^t  ;md  fell  upon  his  knees,  but 
behind  him  in  tin  stern  of  the  boat  tin-  three  majestic 
PI--'  'i  "  i-  stood  upright  and  mack'  the  si«n  of  the 


vin  MANNERS  AND   CUSTOMS  267 

cross  with  wide  and  potent  gestures;  and  suddenly  the 
fiery  barge  stood  still  as  if  she  had  struck  a  rock  and 
was  thrown  into  the  air,  and  turning  upside  down  fell 
with  all  her  fiery  crew  hissing  into  the  raging  sea,  and 
all  was  dark,  and  suddenly  the  storm  subsided  and  the 
moon  shone  out  between  the  clouds  as  on  a  summer's 
night. 

Then  said  the  oldest  of  the  three  old  men  to  the 
fisherman,  'Take  me  to  the  island  of  Saint  George,  for 
there  1  dwell.'  And  the  fisherman  put  him  ashore  there. 
'I  he  second  of  the  old  men  then  said,  '  I  am 

,.,,...  i        T   •  i      J         About  fj./o. 

Saint  Nicholas,  take  me  over  to  the  Lido. 
1  he  fisherman  set  him  ashore  there,  wondering  at  his 
own  strength,  for  it  is  far.  1  hen  said  the  last,  '  I  am 
Saint  Mark,  set  me  ashore  at  the  Pia//a.' 
When  thev  were  there  the  fisherman  fell 
upon  his  face  before  the  saint,  who  raised 
him  up  and  gave  him  his  blessing,  and, 
moreover,  bade  him  go  at  once  to  the 
Doge,  though  it  was  late,  and  tell  him  what  he  had 
seen,  and  to  prove  that  it  was  truth  and  not  a  dream 
the  saint  drew  from  his  finger  a  ring  and  gave  it  to  the 
fisherman  as  a  token. 

1  he  legend  has  been  too  often  told  for  me  to  dwell 
upon  what  followed,  but  it  contrasts  characteristically 
with  the  tale  of  the  little  Countess  Tagliapietra,  which 
is  only  forty  years  older,  but  which  still  retains  that 
subtle  perfume,  that  air  of  peace  and  light,  which 
belong  to  the  earlier  Venetian  legends.  'I  he  story  of 
the  fisherman  belongs  already  to  those  nightmare  tales 


(II,i;\MN(;S    FROM   HISTORY          vm 

ot  terror  \\hich  became  so  \erv  common  in  \  emce  that 
in  tin  sixteenth  ccnturv  all  the  popular  rales  represent 
de\ils  ami  hemls  struggling  against  the  supernatural 
powers  ot  saints.  Last  ot  all,  even  the  saints  ami 
demons  disappeared,  and  the  degenerate  eighteenth 
ccnturv  expressed  its  love  ot  hction  in  a  set  ot  ghost 
stories  as  territvmg  as  anv  that  the'  human  imagination 
has  ever  evolved  out  ot  darkness. 

Next  to  all  that  is  connected  with  religion,  that 
which  would  do  the  most  to  give  a  clear  idea  ot  the 
fourteenth  ceinurv  would  In-  the  studv  ot  women  and 
their  position  at  that  time,  hut  an  almost  total  lack 
of  documents  makes  this  absolutely  impossible.  \\  c  can 
learn  from  old  tannlv  papers  and  caretullv  preserved 
accounts  \\hat  women  were,  and  \\  e  mav  e\'en  to  some 
extent  recoiistrucr  tin-  frame-  ot  their  outward  existence; 
hut  the  soul  ot  it  all  escapes  us.  I  he  storv  I  ha\e  told 
ot  the  little  patrician  girl  alone  stands  out  to  <M\e  us 
some  idea  of  what  a  spotless  child's  thoughts  could  he 
in  a  cit\  \\hich  was  e\eii  then  one  ot  tin-  most  perverse 
in  K u rope.  Hut  ot  the  man v  other  \  enetian  ladies  whom 
htston  nu-ntions  b\  name  \\  e  kno\\  al  so!i:tel\'  nothing. 
MI  fai  as  their  pnxatc-  h\es  are  concerned.  (  )ne  do<u-ss 
atti  i  another  appeal's  in  masMiiticent  garments;  hut  we 
ti  <  !  no  more  interest  in  them  than  it  thev  were  so  manv 
^or'jeo.is  wax  hmires,  tor  no  one  has  taken  tin-  trouble 
to  till  us  \\hether  this  one  \\as  beloved  or  that  one 
hated  ;  \\  hether  one  was  a  \\  oma  n  of  In  a  rt,  or  another 
id,  ambitious,  and  \am.  In  most  cases  \\  e  do  not 
''•(ii  kno\\  their  aves.  \\  h\  should  am  one  (.'are' 


vin  MANNKRS   AND   CUSTOMS  269 

Kach  one-  was  'the  dogess  of  her  duv,'  and  that  was 
enough;  she  was  the  companion  and  consort  of  the 
'doge,  hut  beyond  that,  in  a  state  in  which  the  supreme 
dignity  was  not  hereditary,  her  value  was  purely 
decorative. 

1  he  fourteenth  century  was  not  remarkable  tor 
much  luxurv  or  feminine  display.  Among  the  most 
characteristic  objects  used  in  those  times  were  the  extra- 
ordinary clogs,  with  double  heels  and  enormously  high., 
on  which  women  went  about  in  order  to  keep  their 
skirts  out  of  the  mud.  For  the  streets  and  lanes  were 
not  even  paved,  and  there  seems  to  have  been  no  great 
effort  made  to  clean  them.  'I  he  principal  scavengers 
seem  to  have  been  the  little  pigs  of  the  monastery  of 
Saint  Anthony  of  Padua,  which  had  an  official  right-of- 
way  about  the  city,  and  devoured  greedily  whatever 
the  good  wives  of  Venice  chose  to  throw  into  the 
streets  when  they  cleaned  out  their  kitchens.  It  will 
easily  be  understood  that  clogs  might  be  useful  in  such 
a  town.  As  another  illustration  of  the  times,  here  is  a 
list  of  the  exiguous  outfit  provided  for  a  young  ladv 
of  great  family  on  her  marriage  in  the  year  1.500: 
One  bed,  two  down  quilts,  two  pillows,  tour  sheets,  one 
coverlet,  six  silver  spoons,  one  copper  pail ;  one  piece 
of  scarlet  stuff  long  enough  to  make  a  bodice,  one  skirt 
of  the  same  material;  one  skirt  of  striped  stuff,  and 
one  trimming  for  the  said  skirt  of  the  price  of  nine 
soldi  grossi ;  one  skin  of  a  fox;  seven  amber  beads,  one 
ornament  made  of  pearls,  an  ornament  of  <M>ld,  a  silver 
belt  anil  some  silver  beads. 


2  ~  O  (  i 

The  displa\  of  icwellerv  on  that  occasion  "was  cer- 
ramb  not  maiMiihcent,  but  the  list  ot  clothes  leaves 
e\cn  more  TO  be  desired.  I  he  document  explains 
further  and  determines  precisely  how  the  wedding  is  to 
In-  conducted,  and  what  it  is  to  cost  the-  tannlv  ot  the 
bride.  1  he  bride,  when  she  reaches  Padua,  is  to  receive 
twehe  soldi  nrossi  tor  her  pocket  monev,  a  like-  sum  to 
pav  to!'  tin-  drums,  and  the  same  again  tor  the  cook; 
bur  onlv  halt  as  much  tor  rhe  duenna  \\h.o  is  to  accom- 
panv  her,  and  \\ho  reioices  in  the  high-sounding  name 
ot  Richadonor.  'rich  in  honour'  Furthermore,  torrv 
soldi  iM'ossi  were  TO  be  spent  on  beet,  pork,  poultry, 
biscuits,  apples,  birds,  em^s,  bread,  torches,  \va.x  candles, 
and  rhe  hire  ot  boats. 

Living  \\as  ccrtamlv  not  cU-ar  in  those  davs,  and  we 
ha\e  no  means  ot  calculating  rhe  \alue  ot  rhe  coins 
used,  a  hour  \\  Inch  earned  men  ha\  e  t  rintlesslv  qua  r  re  lied 
for  iH'iierations  ;  \\  e  cannot  In  am  means  establish  the 
\ahie  ot  such  an  outfit,  but  we  can  affirm  most  posi- 
n\e!v  that  the  outfit  itself  bore-  no  resemblance  \\hat- 
exef  to  those  pfo\ldcd  t\\o  centuries  latc-1"  tor  brides 
of  tie  \  er\  sa  me  t  a  nnlv. 

In     this    connection     it    is    as    \\ell    to    say    that    the 

marriage  customs  (if    \eiiici-  had   changed   con^iderabK" 

duniiLi     the     thirteenth     centur\.       It     had 

In-come    altogether    impossible    to    celebraTc- 

all   marriages  on  rhe  same  da\    ot   the  \ear  in  the  sanu- 

chui'i  h,  a-   v\as  ftirnierlv  done,  and   \\eddiniis  no\\'  Took 

place    throughout    tlu-    \ear    in    tin     difierent    parishes. 

\n    idler    of    the    vear    !2ss    reconmu-nds    the    nubh- 


VIII 


MANNERS   AND   CUSTOMS 


271 


cation    of    marriage    bans    in    Venice,    hut    very    little 
attention  was  paid  to  this  regulation,  and  clandestine 


?ii  yjMgfiiHi 

a  frwBlflV^S? 


iif  vM I    m&  ii^filS^^rr 

™  r 


marriages  hecame  one-  of  the  threat  e\  ils  of  the  da\  .      If, 
tor    instance,    an    unmarried    woman    of  am    condition 


found  herselt  hopelessly  in  debt,  she-  had  onlv  to  marry 
in  order  t«  lu-  safe  from  am  legal  action  on  the  parr  of 
lu-r  creditors.  Ir  \\as  so  easy  to  sjvt  the  ceremony  per- 
formed, it  oiu-  wished  to  keep  the  affair  quiet,  that  ir 
\\as  not  (.Arii  necessary  ro  s^o  to  church.  A  pru-sr  could 
In-  sent  tor  ro  a  private  house-,  or  e\cn  ro  an  inn,  the 
witnesses  heard  the  necessary  words  pronounced,  the 
pru-sr  blessed  the  couple,  and  the  union  was  irrevocable. 
I  he  IM>\  ernmenr  rook  cognisance  ot  rlu-  innumerable 
abuses  which  resulted  from  this  mantu-r  ot  proceeding, 
and  a  law  was  passed  \\hich  \\ould  ha\e  introduced  a 
real  reform  it  ir  had  lu-i-n  ngoiouslv  enforced.  Hut 
instead  it  \\as  so  conijileteh"  o\erlooked  ami  tor^otren 
that  rln-  archives  ot  tin-  law-courts  a  cenrun  later 
teem  \\ith  amusing  anectlotes  ot  such  marnam-s.  I  he 
tollnuinn  is  ;i  specmu-n  taken  tioni  rlu-  ease  ot  a  certain 
Dame  Catenna  <>t  the  pai'ish  ot  Saint  (ier\asio. 

<  )ne  e\emn^,  as  rhis  n;ood  lad\'  was  hn^ermu  on  the 

thresholtl  ot   lur  o\\  n   iloor.  ;i   certain    1'ieiin   da    I  renro 

came     by,     selling     brooms.      lla\m^     Lireeted      Dame 

(.  aterma,   \\lio   appear^   to   ha\e   been   an   ac(piaintaiu-e, 

tht    man   said,  '(rood   madam,    I    pra\    \ou   riml   nu-  out 

sim!      handsomi     Liiri.        I  lu-reiipon   rlu-    ^ood    l.ul\    \\;is 

mmiediateh     ver\     an^r\.    and    loadetl    I'urin    \\irh    the 

t  st  epithets  in  the  \enetian  hmmiaoe,  all  (it  \\hich 

rupuioush     (jiioted    in    the    reporr    ot    rlu-    cast.-. 

Putin.    ho\\e\er,    protesteil,    '  \o,    no.    Dame    C'arerma, 

dh!  not  mean  \shat  vmi  think!  1  am  askitiLi  \'"U  to 
;'!iil  MH  ,i  mre  little  \\ife  tii  whom  I  \\ill  be  a  model 
:  Sin  ansuered,  '\\ell,  well,  on  m\  taith  I 


vin  MANNERS   AND   CUSTOMS  273 

will  try  and  find  one  for  you.  Come  hack  to-morrow.' 
She  immediately  thought  of  a  voting  girl  called  Maria 
who  waited  upon  herself  and  her  daughter.  On  the 
morrow  the  parties  met  in  the  house  of  Dame  Catenna, 
and  one  Menego  Aloise,  who  was  there,  asked,  'Maria, 
does  Pietro  suit  you  as  a  husband  according  to  the 
commandments  of  Clod  and  Holy  Church?'  She 
answered,  '\es.'  So  thev  took  each  other  bv  the 
hand,  and  all  the  com  pan  v  sat  down  to  table  with 
great  ]ov. 

1  his  was  apparently  all  that  was  necessary  to  make 
a  marriage  binding.  It  is  not  even  explicitly  stated 
that  the  man  Menego  who  asked  the  ritual  question 
was  a  priest;  but  unless  we  suppose  that  something  like 
common-law  marriage  was  le^al  in  \  emce,  we  mav  take 

o  o 

it  for  granted  that  he  was. 

Of  course,  in  the  absence  of  a  divorce  law,  the  chief 
ob|ect  of  such  summarv  marriages  was  that  thev  might 
be  denied,  and  such  cases  led  to  some  hvelv  fencing 
between  the  civil  and  religious  authorities. 

In  spite  of  these  abuses,  however,  and  in  spite  of  the 
numerous  regular  and  proper  marriages  that  took  place 
in  the-  parish  churches, the  old  custom  of  marn  mo  whole- 
sale on  the  thirtv-first  of  jantiarv  had  not  fallen  whollv 
into  disuse.  I  shall  describe  in  another  place-  the  least 
of  the  Manes,  instituted  to  re-call  the  one-  which  had 
been  disturbed  long  a<j;o  bv  the  Dalmatian  pirates,  and 
which  was  celebrated  everv  vear  with  the  same  mixture 
of  simplicity,  display,  and  jollitv. 

One    might    get    married    quietlv,    with    closed    doors 


2;4  (il.l-.. \\I.\CS    FROM    IlIS'lORY  vm 

;tiul  \\  irliour  souiul  of  drum  or  trumpet,  hut  it  \\  as  quite 
impossible  to  IK-  buried  with  the  same-  simplicity  ami 
privac\ .  All  the  chroniclers  ot  those  times  have  left 
accounts  ot  funerals,  which  remind  one-  verv  strongly 
ot  tin-  Fast,  and  even  ot  ancient  Fgyptian  and  Ass\ nan 
rites.  It  was  absolutely  mdispensahle  that  a  hushand 
on  the  death  ot  his  wife,  or  a  wife  on  tin-  death  ot  her 
hushand,  should  exhibit  in  public  the  most  extravagant 
LM'iet.  1  he  bereaved  widow  or  widower  \\as  expected 
to  scream,  to  roll  upon  the  (Around,  to  tear  out  his  or 
her  hair  In  the  haiultul,  to  howl  and  moan  with  scarcely 
a  moment's  intermission. 

\\hen  at  last  the  friends  ot  the  dead  came  to  carrv 
a\\a\  the  hodv,  tin-  tren/ied  rehcr  was  alwavs  found 
stretched  upon  tin-  threshold  ot  tin-  house,  to  pie\ent 
the  funeral  from  passing,  and  had  to  he  dragged  out  of 
the  \\a\  bv  mam  force.  I  he  both  having  been  carried 
out  of  the  house  at  last,  the  whole  tamdv  followed  it  to 
the  parish  church  with  screams  and  howls,  and  kept  up 

ill  the  chanting  of  the  whole 


;imon«^st  the  people  that  centuries  elapsed  before 
uivh  ciiiild  put  it  do\\n,  and  onlv  threats  ot 
excommunication  suthred  to  prexent  the  unse,eml\  m- 
terruption  (it  tin  (  )thee  tor  the  l)ead.  I  hose  \\lio  ha\e 
h\eil  in  tin  tar  Fast,  and  especially  in  India,  arc  familiar 
\\ith  such  sights.  \d  one  \\lio  has  luaid  the  lamenta- 
tions ii|  hired  mourners  at  an  Asiatic  funeral  is  likclv 
to  forget  the  impression  he  rc-ceucd;  but  it  is  hard  to 
understand  such  doinns  amoni'st  the  \eiutians  of  the 


viii  MANNERS    AND    CUSTOMS  275 

fourteenth  centurv,  and  that  the  poor  sometimes  even 
went  so  far  as  to  expose  their  dead  in  the  streets  during 
several  davs,  in  order  to  excite  the  compassion  and 
solicit  the  alms  of  those  who  passed  by. 

It  is  quite  certain  that  slaverv  was  not  onlv  com- 
mon but  almost  universal  in  \  emce  until  the  fifteenth 
centurv  at  least.  '1  he  custom  of  keeping  household 
slaves  was  indeed  general  throughout  Italv  in  the 
Middle  Ages,  but  it  was  nowhere  so  deep-rooted  as  in 
\  emce.  Church  and  State  laboured  in  vain  to  put 
down  the  traffic  and  to  discourage  the  purchase  of 
slaves.  In  the  year  960  the  Doge  Pier  .S/////AV, 
Camliano  IV.  threatened  with  very  severe 
punishments  all  those  who  should  either 
engage  in  or  encourage  the  slave  trade.  And  at 
the  same  time  the  patriarch  declared  himself  as  fol- 
lows: 'Moreover,  we  and  our  brother  bishops  will 
excommunicate  all  those  who  shall  be  proved  guiltv 
be-fore  the  tribunals  of  the  state;  thev  shall  be  deprived 
of  the  sacrament  of  the  I  lolv  Kuchanst;  thev  shall 
not  be  allowed  to  enter  anv  church;  and  if  they  do  not 
repent,  thev  shall  burn  everlastingly  with  [uclas,  who 
sold  our  Lord  [esus  Christ.' 

1  he  ci\il  and  ecclesiastic-  authorities  could  not  have 
expressed  themselves  in  stronger  language,  but  it  is  clear 
that  their  edicts  could  not  be  enforced,  tor  slaverv  con- 
tinued to  flourish  during  tour  centuries  after  that  time. 
\\  e  have  not  even  the  satisfaction  of  telling  ourselves 
that  it  was  at  last  put  down  bv  a  noble  impulse-  of 
humanity,  since  the  most  superficial  examination  pro\es 


tii  us  that  slaven  did  not  hciMn  to  dimmish  in  \emce 
until  tin  m  nt  lal  depravity  ot  women  had  brought  them 
do\\  n  to  tiie  moral  level  of  slaves.  1  hat  verv  Ucpravitv 
\sas  itself  in  great  parr  produced  In  the  presence  ot  an 
immense  number  ot  Kastein  female  slaves,  absolutely 
\\irhout  anv  moral  sense,  and  having  no  object  \\hat- 
e\er  in  lite  except  to  extract  favours  from  their  masters 
In  making  themselves  the  willing  msrrunu-nts  of  exerv 
passnm  ;md  of  even  vice.  I  he\  possessed  main  means 
of  accomplishing  tins  i  ml,  ami  in  particular  a  <jreat 
mam  ot  rln-m  claimed  tin-  secret  knowledge  ot  philtres, 
which  would  nor  onlv  heal  every  mahuh,  but  which 
ciiuld  instantly  satist\  their  masters  thirst  for  love  or 
revenue.  I  In  \  pretended.  In  means  ot  incantations, 
tM  destroy  In  decrees  file  lite  ol  an  enemy  who  could 
not  be  satelv  stabbed  or  otherwise  violently  pur  to 
death  ;  and  in  a  \  ast  number  of  cases  tin  v  icnm  actually 
dud,  it  nor  In  supernatural  means.  In  subtle  poisons 
administered  to  him  In  some  slave-  of  his  own  in  collu- 
sion with  the  witch.  (  )tteii.  too,  men  and  women  went 
siiddeiih  raving  mad  i  rom  poison  thus  secretly  adminis- 
tered, and  remained  permanently  insane.  1  his  crime 

oinmon  that  it   had  a   name-  of  its  own.  ami  was 
called   '  1. 1  b  a  r  i  a . 

!  !n    w  hi  ile  of   V  en  ice  was  undermined  by  these  slave 

mtriLMits.       I  In     I'. astern    woman    possesses    beyond    all 

others  tin  st  r  ret  of  secrecy.      I  In-  thousands 

ot   them  who  h\ed   m   Venice  were  in  com- 

ion  \\  n  h  i  ach  ot  In  i .  helped  each  or  her.  and  could 
ilish  foi  thui  respective  masters  almost  anything 


viii  MANNERS   AM)   CUSTOMS  277 

they  desired.  I  here  was  a  certain  number  of  male 
slaves  also,  who,  though  far  less  astute  than  the  women, 
often  rendered  their  owners  great  services,  sometimes 
to  their  own  destruction;  tor  there  are  records  of"  their 
having  been  imprisoned,  tortured,  and  hanged  instead 
of  their  masters,  and  sometimes  with  the  latter,  for 
having  committed  crimes  of  which  their  owners  did  not 
wish  to  take  the  responsibility. 


.       «V'-  ~    ~*lr     i~  -.          V^-      -'  'Kiti^ 


IX 


riir,  M  \RIKS 


I  III  reader  \vill  ll'it  ha\e  fol'^ottrl)  ll<>\\  flic  \  C'llftum 
hri.K  -  \'.cii  r;iri'icd  otl  In  pn;itcs  <>1  \;ircnr;i  to\\;ird.s 
tin-  muKllr  -it  tin  tt  nth  rc-nrur\,  in  the  IVILMI  ot  I'n-r 
C';uidi;iii'i  III.  \\lu-ti,  ;it  :i  i.itcr  date,  the  custom  <>t 

''    <  ;  >r,i  t  in'.:    ;ill    ni.irn.i^is   on    the    MIIIH-    d;i\    ol    the    \'e;il" 

;MU!    in   the   -,;inii'  ehiireh   \\;is   ;ih;i  ndi  )ned,   the  e(  reiniiii\' 

i     tin     M.iiu  s     \\;is  ronnniied  eaeh  \ear  in  nu-moi'\' 

oft  .;  lit  U-    i   \  (   lit  . 


ix  THE   FEAST   OF   THE   MARIES          279 

The  brides  were  replaced  by  twelve  young  girls,  who 
were  chosen  among  the  most  well-behaved  in  the  city, 
so  that  the  choice  became  a  sort  of  pn/.e  of  virtue  —  a 
'Prix  Montyon  '  —and  the  selection  was  made  with 
the  utmost  care.  At  that  time  the  citv  was  divided  into 
six  wards,  each  of  which  contained  thirtv  'comrade,' 
or  districts.  1  wo  of  the  latter  were  named  each  year 
to  furnish  the  'twelve  Maries.'  The  headmen  of  the 
districts,  who  were  like  police  magistrates,  called  to- 
gether the  people  in  the  principal  open  place  of  the 
district,  and  the  election  began.  '1  he  chroniclers  do 
not  agree  upon  the  qualities  which  were  required  in 
candidates;  some  say  that  they  were  all  to  be  noble, 
some  that  they  were  to  be  poor,  another  savs  that  thev 
were  the  most  beautiful.  1  here  is  only  one  point  upon 
which  all  agree:  their  behaviour  was  required  to  be 
perfect. 

The  twelve  Maries  having  been  chosen,  the  meeting 
proceeded  to  elect  the  twelve  nobles  at  whose  houses 
the  voting  girls  were  to  be  entertained.  1  hese  person- 
ages were  to  be  of  the  same  district,  or  were  at  least  to 
live  in  the  immediate  vicmitv;  and  it  was  no  sinecure 
to  fulfil  this  office  of  hospitality.  I  he  district  spent 
from  eight  hundred  to  a  thousand  ducats  in  decorating 
the-  streets  and  houses,  and  the  boats  that  conveyed 
the  Manes;  and  the  patrician  whose  ill-luck  had 
designated  him  as  one  of  the  patrons  was  obliged  to 
make  such  a  displav  and  to  furnish  such  a  magnificent 
banquet  in  honour  of  the  <nrl  he  was  supposed  to 
protect,  and  such  a  reception  for  the  inhabitants  of  the 


HISTORY          i\ 


\\hoK  dist  riot,  rii.it  his  pocket  suffered  severely,  and  ho 
\\.is  obliged  to  economise  tor  sonu-  nine  afterwards. 
It  often  happened  that  there  were  nor  so  maii\'  as 
tuehe  rich  nobles  Imni^  in  tin-  district,  and  in  that 
ease  matters  \\ere  arranged  b\  LMVIHU  t\\'o  Manes  to 
DIH-,  \\ho  \\as  thus  condemned  to  a  double  expenditure, 
it  not  in  actual  nun.  tor  the  Drearer  <dorv  ot  patriotic 
institutions.  However,  as  time  went  on,  the  State  was 
mo\ed  In  such  misfortunes,  which  \\ere  not  reallv 
justified  In  :m\  serious  necessit\',  and  the  (  ireat  Council 
\oti-il  that  the  I)oi;e  should  exercise  a  c'ertam  control 
o\er  the  e  ection  ot  the  Maries  and  their  official  pro- 
teitors.  1>\  this  means  it  became  possible  for  a  noble 
in  poor  circumstances  to  pass  on  the  burden  ot  the 
hast  tn  somt  richer  man.  It  was  further  decided 
that  the  procurators  of  Saint  Mark  should  be  authorised 
to  lend  iMi  s(cmit\.  to  the  districts  and  to  rhe  patrons 
chosrii,  .ill  the  jeuels  from  rhe  treasure  of  the  basilica. 
\\ith  \\hich  IM  adorn  the  atrire  ot  rhe  ruehe  \oun 


consisted    of    numeioiis    necklaces 
ad'-ms  lit    immense  \alue,  and   rhe  fact   that   the\' 
'  '•     for    such    an    occasion    pnnes    the    ^reat    nn- 
'.  Inch    tin     \eiietiaiis   altaclied   to  rhe   testl\  it\'. 
t  lie    kepub  ic   beha\  ed    as   it    if    had 
•'••     Aith  tin    maidens  \\hose  parr  \\  a  s  to  recall 
1      i!ii      tuli  n    hi  idt  s  of   old.      <  )n   one  occasion 
I    thai     IT  '          -    than     ~.'. ,  .     >    ducats    \\  ere 
:         ..    ':     ,n   tin     ;,  ,,-t. 

'    i '  it  •  1 1  st  m  L;    and    cha  rmm^lv    si  m  ile 

,    ;     .  i     .    i    . .    i  .  A  i        •        i 

i 


ix  THE   FEAST   OF   THE    MARIES          281 

Canal,  written  in  a  dialect  half  French  and  halt  Provencal. 
It  describes  the  Feast  of  the  Manes  111  Arch.  MM-,  fail. 
the  second  half  of  the  twelfth  centurv,  when  • 
Ranier  /eno  was  Doge;  and  though  a  tew  modifications 
were  afterwards  introduced  in  the  ceremonial,  this  account 
continues  to  he  quite  the  most  accurate  that  has  come 
down  to  us.  "Fhe  onlv  wav  of  accounting  tor  its 
having  been  written  in  the  Provencal  tongue  is  that 
the  latter  was  the  language  of  polished  society  in  that 
age.  Here  is  an  attempt  to  translate  it  as  simply  and 
accurately  as  possible: 

I  shall  now  tell  you  about  the  festival  which  the  Venetians 
hold  on  the  last  dav  of  famiarv,  to  wit,  in  remembrance  ot 
ho\v  our  Lord  St.  Mark  came  to  Venice;  and  ot  the  beautiful 
festival  which  the  Venetians  hold  in  reverence  ot  our  Ladv  St. 
Marv.  ^  ou  must  know  that  the  Lord  Do^e  has  divided  the 
districts  ot  Venice  into  thirtv  parts,  two  districts  to  each  part. 
Now  on  the  eve  ot  our  Lord  St.  Mark  a  companv  ot  vouii^ 
gentles  come  by  water,  and  when  thev  have  reached  the  palace 
thev  land  and  hand  their  banners  to  little  hovs,  and  ^o  two  hv 
two  before  the  church  of  our  Lord  St.  Mark  ;  and  after  them 
come  trumpeters,  and  after  them  airain  voting  irentles  who 
carrv  silver  dishes  loaded  with  contectionerv,  and  with  them 
are  brought  vessels  ot  silver,  full  of  wine,  and  cups  of  u;old 
and  silver  carried  bv  more  voting  nobles,  and  la>t  of  all  come 
clerks  singing,  dressed  in  their  copes  of  velvet  and  <^o]d,  and 
they  all  together  go  as  far  as  the  church  of  St.  Marv,  which 
is  called  Formosa;  and  thev  tind  women  and  maidens  in  Lircat 
numbers,  and  present  them  with  the  confectionery  and  with 
wine  to  drink.  .  .  . 

So  tar  L  have  told  vou  of  the  <:vc,  and  now  1  shall  tell  vou 
of  the  dav  of  our  Lord  St.  Mark. 


>S2          Cl.  i:\MXCS    FROM    HISTORY"  ix 

You  must  km>\v,  -irs,  that  on  the  last  dav  of  [anuary  is 
the  feast  anil  double  procession,  when  come  vouths  and  men 
i'_ie  to  tin.'  palace1  of  our  Lord  the  Do^e  In  water;  and 
thev  :_rct  out  upon  the  drv  land,  and  LM\C  more  than  one  thou- 
sand banners  to  little  children,  and  send  them  before  them 
two  and  two  to  the  church  of  our  Lord  St.  Mark;  and  after 
them  conn-  the  older  children  earning  in  their  hands  more 
than  a  hundred  cro»es  of  sihcr;  and  afterwards  come  the 
clcr^v,  ail  dres-ed  in  cope>  of  \el\et  and  'j;o!d  ;  and  trumpets 
and  c\  mbal>  ;  and  a  clerk  comes  in- the  midst  ot  the  company, 
dressed  in  a  cloth  all  of  ^old  damask,  after  the  manner  ot  the' 
Virgin,  our  l.ad\  St.  Mar\  ;  and  that  clerk  is  placed  upon  a 
\e;\  richh  oniamenteil  chair,  which  i>  cai'ned  In'  tom  men  on 
their  >houlder-  ;  and  before  him,  and  on  each  Mile,  the  standards 
ot  Hold,  and  the  clei'k>  _•  >  ^'.M^MIJ:  in  the  procession.  \\  hile 
the\  are  thu>  ^oiiij;,  three  clerk>  come  out  of  the  procession, 
and  where  the\  >ee  our  Lord  the  I)o^e  at  the  windows  of  his 
c,  m  compain  with  noble  \enetians,  ihe\'  ;:n  up  to  a 
platform  >m^m'j;  \\'ith  a  loud  voice,  and  the\  all  >nv_;  a>  tol- 
lo\\-v;  — k(,'h:i>:  i>  KiM'j.-.  C'hri^t  renn^  w  Io  our  Lord 

Rai    el    /eiio,  In    the  -1'ace  of  (Jod    I  )o-e  of   \'enice,   Dalmatia, 
t    '    .11  ...  ot  tlie  fourth  part  and  one-halt  a  fourth 

pa  '    oi    ;;li  tlie   empire   <  t    the    Romans,   health,    lon_^    life,    and 
vx:.   Mark,  help    thou    him'         \\hen    the    praive> 
•  do\vii   from  the  platform,  and  our   |,ord 
.  i-   -  to    -     thrown  down  to  them  a  <|uantit\    of  hiv 
n  into  the  pn  iee>sii  m  \\  ith  tl  e  rc>.t  \\  hi  > 
,,.;,'!,  •  tor    them  ;     and     then    corner 

.;    clerk    who    wear"    a    crown    of     _rold,   and    i^    riehlv 
tin-    Hols    \"ii  _:in,  as    I    have    told 
'.  i     :     i        -       'i"'     •     .:'    our   Lord  tin-    I  )o^c    he   greets 
•  •  •     ,         I   then  those  \vho   earr\    him 

rwa      ,  '  iccs>ion  to!low>  1  hem, 

i  hm\  h  o!      i        Lad\    St.    Mar\  , 


i\  THE   FEAST   OF   THE    MARIES          283 

and  wait  there  until  those  of  the  other  district  have  also 
entered.  Xo\v  these  others  come  in  the  manner  which  I  have 
explained,  with  banners,  crosses,  and  priests,  and  cause  three 
clerks  to  sm^  the  same  praises  of  our  Lord  the  Doge,  as  did 
the  others,  and  our  Lord  the  Doge  causes  medals  to  he  thrown 
down  to  them.  ^  on  must  know  our  Lord  the  Doge  is  dressed 
in  cloth  ot  gold,  and  has  a  crown  of  gold  upon  his  head  ;  and 
in  order  to  see  the  procession,  which  is  made  in  honour  ot  our 
Ladv,  there  are  present  the  nobles  of  Venice,  all  the  people, 
and  a  great  number  of  ladies  and  maidens,  and  there  are  manv 
of  them  both  in  the  streets  and  at  the  windows  of  the  palaces. 
When  the  three  clerks  have  sung  the  praises  of  the  Lord 
Do<re,  in  the  same  manner  in  which  those  who  came  first  had 
done,  thev  go  on  in  procession  again,  and  another  clerk  comes 
forward,  who  sits  upon  a  seat  most  richlv  adorned,  in  the  dress 
ot  an  an^el,  and  he  is  carried  on  the  shoulders  ot  tour  men. 
When  he  is  near  our  Lord  Doge  he  salutes  him,  and  the  Lord 
Do»;e  returns  his  salute  ;  and  then  thev  no  on  in  the  procession, 
and  the  clerks  no  on  sin^ii";.  fit  is  amusing  to  note  that 
until  i  .528  the  priests  who  figured  as  the  Madonna  and  the 
angel  rose  in  the  presence  ot  the  Doge,  but  this  was  discon- 
tinued from  that  date  as  improper.]  You  must  know  that 
both  clerks  and  lavmen  have  good  '  ramarri  '  ( : )  and  thev  go 
until  thcv  enter  the  church  ot  our  Ladv  St.  Marv.  When  the 
priest  who  is  arraved  to  resemble  the  angel  has  entered  into 
the  church  and  sees  the  other  who  is  arraved  to  resemble  the 
Virgin  Marv,  he  stands  up  and  says  as  follows:  'Hail,  Mary, 
full  of  <j;race  !  The  Lord  is  with  thee.  Blessed  art  thou 
amonci  women,  and  blessed  is  the  fruit  of  thv  womb.  Thus 
saith  the  Lord.'  And  the  priest  who  is  arraved  to  resemble 
our  Ladv  answers  and  says,  '  How  can  this  be-,  oh  thou  angel 
of  God,  since  I  know  not  a  man:'  And  the  antiel  answers, 
'The  Holv  Spirit  descends  in  thee.  ( )h,  Marv,  fear  nothing, 
thou  shalt  conceive  the  Son  of  God.'  And  she  answers  and 


(il  I -. \MNCS    FROM    HISTORY  ix 


s.i\ -,  k  lieliolil  tin1    handmaiden   of  tin.1    l.oid.       Let    it    be   with 

Illl-    ad  i  H'lll  IlLl     I"      I    h\     Word. 

\\  hat  shall  I  tell  \ou:  After  these  words  the\  lca\c  the' 
i  hureh  ami  LI"  to  thru  own  houses,  ami  after  thev  ha\  c  eaten, 
the  people,  men  and  women,  LI."  into  tlu-  districts  that  ha\c 
made  these  processions,  and  tlu'\  tnul  in  twehe  houses  the 
•  \  -.  c  Maries,  so  heaut 1 1 ul  1\  art'u\  ed  as  is  a  wonder  to  see. 
I. arh  line  h.i>  a  enuvn  of  ^oKl  \vith  prei'ious  stone's  upon  her 
lu  ad,  and  the\  are  dressed  in  (.doth  nt  Ll'olcl,  and  on  tlu'ir  t'ohes 
preeioiiv  stones  aiul  pc-aris  \\-ithout  number.  The 
ladies  and  maidens  sit  around  them,  \  en  riehK  dressed,  and  the 

presi-nt  their  friends  with  eonteetionerv  to  eat  and  with 
.',  ne  to  drink.  And  mi  the  tolIowuiL!  da\  thc*\  make  other 
leasts  in  their  twehe  houses.  And  our  l.oi'd  tin'  I  )OLH'  wears 

•  ',  •  :  ''!i  the  e\  e  ot  our  l.ad\,  as  he  \\ears  it  at 

lYntetiist,  and  after  vespc'i's  he  returns  to  the  palace  in  the 
same  n  i  .\  hieli  he  eanu1.  (  )n  i  ui r  I  ,ad\  s  da\  ,  t  he  sec'- 

i't     |-ebruar\,  eaeli    "t    the    two    districts    whu  h    ^i\e    the 

.'   '       and   i  :eh   festi\al,as   1   h.i\e   imrrateil,  prepare  si  \   uri-at 

>,;•__•(-,  and   have  them   rowed   to    the    head,    oj    the    ei!\,  exactK 


• :          th  of  LV  ild  and  carpets.      And  t  hen   ladies 
nia  deiis    are    taken    <>n    bnard    tniii"    i>t    them,    v  er\     riehl\' 
[i  it   the     Maries  in   the  midst,  and    in  another 
u  med,  wn  h    ;  heir    ilrawn    s\v<  >rds    m 
i-  -     and    "'    another    _•><    the   clerks    arra\  cd    \vith    tile 
t  'tin      ;  -       ["hen  comes  1  he   \\.  >hop,  and 
\  hen    he    has    blesseii    them    t  he\-  all 
.    ..  '  !         lilshnp    '.H  ies    \\  l!  h     them,    \\atll 

>'s      n    the;;       i     /     •.;••-,,»;  i>  hi  \    ilresx-d,  and    i  he\ 
|..tli   .   '         -Id.       The     l.oul     Bishop 
I   t  hi    '  .'.      al'hots    has  i     t  heir 
•       -'.  '     :•  ; :  h    fi'oni    the    palace1    ot    the 
tl         meet    upon  t  heir 


ix  THE   FEAST  OE   THE   MARIES         285 

\vav  t\vo  magnificent  barges,  which  art-  to  he  for  the  same 
festival  next  vear.  They  all  go  thus  before  the  church  of  our 
Lord  St.  Mark,  and  there  thev  drop  anchor,  and  lie  to  wait  tor 
the  coming  of  our  Lord  the  Doge.  When  the  Bishop  and  the 
two  abbots  have  come  to  the  shore  thev  no  out  upon  drv  land 
with  all  their  companv,  and  go  together  into  the  church  of  our 
Lord  St.  Mark,  and  find  our  Lord  the  Done  at  mass;  and 
after  mass  thev  come  back  to  the  barges.  The  Lord  Do^e 
comes  under  the  umbrella,  with  the  Bishop  bv  him  on  one 
side  and  the  senior  canon  on  his  other  side,  and  both  the 
abbots  before  them.  The  Doge  is  crowned  with  gold,  and 
the  Bishop  wears  his  mitre,  and  the  abbots,  the  chaplains,  and 
the  canons  go  singing  in  procession  ;  the  trumpets  and  the 
cvmbals  n(>  before  everv  one,  and  the  crosses  afterwards.  In 
this  manner  the  Lord  Doge  goes  as  far  as  his  n;reat  bar^e,  and 
enters  it  with  the  nobility  of  Venice,  and  his  fudge  is  beside 
him,  and  behind  him  is  placed  in  the  ship  he  who  carries  the 
Dole's  sword.  When  our  Lord  Do^e  has  entered  the  in'eat 
ship  in  companv  with  the  nobility  of  Venice,  and  of  many 
honourable  men,  he  sits  down  between  the  senior  canon  and 
his  I ud tie,  and  thev  sit  down  upon  the  bar^e  ;  and  the  Bishop 
and  the  two  abbots  enter  their  barges;  then  the  men  of  the 
barges  wei^h  anchor,  and  thev  1:0  to  the  other  end  of  the  city, 
and  you  must  know  that  the  citv  is  very  lon^,  a  league  and  a 
halt,  01  more.  But  it  you  were  there,  sirs,  you  mi^ht  well 
see  the  water  covered  with  boats,  full  ot  men  and  women  who 
follow,  of  whom  you  must  know  that  you  could  never  tell  the 
number.  And  in  the  windows  of  the  palaces  and  on  the  banks 
there  is  a  throng  of  ladies  and  maidens,  as  main  as  there  are  in 
all  the  citv,  and  so  richly  dressed  that  you  could  see  none  finer. 
With  such  joy  and  festivity  thev  Lro  to  the  other  end  ot  the 
citv,  and  then  return  to  their  own  districts,  and  the  Lord 
Doge  with  all  his  company  returns  to  his  palace,  and  finds  the 
tables  set,  and  he  eats  with  all  those  who  have  been  with  him. 


(il.l.AMNCS    FROM    HISTORY  ix 

It  is  \\<>rrh  noting  rhar  in  the  fourteenth  century  the 
1  )O<_H-'S  \essel  \vus  no  longer  called  the  principal  barge, 
hut  the  P>uccntaur,  the  name  being  probably,  as  some 
sa\',  cleri\ecl  from  '  Bu/.eus  aureus,'  and  so  called  in 
some  documents.  It  was  a  rich  vessel,  adorned  with 
caning,  stufrs,  carpets,  and  paintings.  I  p  to  1.511  it 
\\as  not  rowed,  hut  was  towed  by  another  boat,  which 
was  draped  and  rowed  bv  men  of  Murano;  but  after 
that  vcar  it  had  its  own  rowers. 

It  is  easv  to  understand  that  such  a  festival  as  Mar- 
tin da  Canal  describes  might  be  the  rum  of  more 
than  one  great  house-,  and  it  cost  even  the  State  enor- 
mous sums,  which  is  one  reason  whv  it  was  not  always 
celebrated  with  equal  magnificence.  In  I  -550,  when  the 
plague  hail  ureatlv  reduced  the  budget,  it  was  decided 
to  substitute  painted  wooden  statues  for  the  twelve 
voting  twirls,  but  the  public  strongly  opposed  this 
mno\ation.  1  he  recollection  of  these 
wooden  dolls  has  never  been  \\holl\  ef- 
faced ;  it  is  still  common  in  \  emce  to  call  a  woman  who 
is  thin,  cold,  stupid,  and  pretentious,  'a  wooden  Marv.' 

I  he  feast  uas  <Mven  up  at  the  end  of  the  fourteenth 
centurv,  at  the  time  of  the  final  struggle  with  (ilenoa. 
I  IK  tit  asiirv  was  empty,  and  excessive  anxietv  kept  the 
public  spirits  in  a  state  of  ntrxous  tension;  moreover, 
the  a  Lie  of  tlu  ideal  \enetian  \\oman  was  past,  and  she 
no  longi-r  inspired  profound  and  chivalrous  dexotion  as 
in  th<  old  davs  \\hen  she  had  been  more  modest,  more 
retii'iiiLi.  and  more  identic. 

Of    all    that   slendid    sho\\   and      ageant    nothin      re- 


ix  THE    FEAST   OF   THE    MARIES          28; 

mained  hut  the  Doge's  visit  to  the  church  of  Santa 
Maria  Formosa,  and  his  largess  of  small  coins  to  the 
street  hoys  at  the  moment  of  loosing  the  line  with 
which  the  rector  of  the  church  pretended  to  bar  the 
way  to  the  bridge. 


P^y^^S^^ 


x 


'I'llK    F.ARI.Y    PART    OF 


I'll  i  KM   (  i  r,  \  i )  i  \  ii ,( i    i\-i^iH-cl    t  \\  t  nr\ -r\\  ( i   vt-ars,   clurni^; 

,i    \  (  n     (\initul    pcrjoil.       hi     i  2^S    lie    li;ul    phu'c-tl    the 

.MI   rm  |-;itu"  ^iipi  <  M  i;u'\  on  ,i   ]u  Tina  IK  nt   liasis,  and  a  fr\v 

n  i.  Mir  li  s    at  fi  In  i'1'iislu-il  tin-  Nt  il  UK  Hi  M|   Mann  I  >(KV<>ni<> ; 

riLiI"    \iaiN    a  i  i  rr\\  a  rjs    In     pin    d<>\\  n    rln-    much    nioi't- 

.Mi'ii.    i  :i-u  M  t  vt  i-  'ii    nt      licpolo    and    the    (Juirini; 

'.i-  h^-  loi'riinatr  ahi'oad  than  at   hon,c,  and  his 

ti  .1 1  rj|i  pi  i|n"\  1 1  siilti  d  111  tin-  v.  hoK  sale  f\i'oinni  nnirat  n  >n 

of    i  n     \iiutian    pi  opK-   and    '_"  >\  ti  ninriit ,   as   tin    direct 


x     DOGES   IX   FOURTEENTH   CENTURY    289 

consequence  of  the  attempt  to  annex  I'ertara,  a  step 
which  had  also  led  to  the  organisation  ot  the  J  iepolo 
conspiracy.  \\hen  Gradenigo  died  the  papal  interdict 
was  still  in  full  force. 

I  he  tortv-one  patricians  who  were  to  elect  his 
successor  were  dulv  chosen  and  shut  up  in  the  ducal 
palace,  though  not  vet  with  anv  great  precautions  to 
prevent  them  from  communicating  with  their  friends. 
1  hev  understood  well  enough  that  the  interests  of  the 
State  required  a  Doge  whose  genuine  pietv  should  move 
the  Pope  to  forgiveness;  such  a  man  was  found  in  the 
senator  Stetano  Giustiniani,  and  in  a  short  time  the 
maiontv  of  votes  was  in  his  favour.  He  was  not  only 
a  man  of  irreproachable  lite,  hut  also  a  first-rate  states- 
man, and  he  was  personally  well  known  and  liked  in 
Rome,  where  he  had  once  resided  as  \  enetian  am- 
bassador. 1  he  choice  was  a  good  one,  but  the  patri- 
cian was  too  virtuous,  or  too  wise,  or  both,  to  accept 
the  supreme  office  at  such  a  moment,  foreseeing 
clearlv  that  his  conscience  and  reputation  would  be 
simultaneously  at  stake-,  and  in  such  a  wav  that  to  save 
the  one  would  probably  have  been  to  imperil  the  other. 

He  had  lon^  nourished  the  hope  of  retiring  from 
the  world,  and  when  he-  knew  that  he  was  elected  In- 
lost  no  time  in  carrving  our  his  pious  design.  Instead 
of  iH>in<r  from  his  house  to  the  ducal  palace,  he  dis- 
appeared within  the  doors  of  the  monasterv  of  Saint 
George,  and  on  the  same  dav  put  on  the  habit  and  took 
the-  obligations  of  a  novice. 

'I  lie  stupefaction   and  embarrassment  of  the  electors 

Vol..    I.  —  > 


hi  mi;iLMiu-il ;  ir  \\:is  perhaps  within  tin-  powers  of 
the  all-po\\  ertul  m>\  i-rnnu-nt  to  ilrag  (mistimum  from 
tin  rttii'T  ot  his  cell,  ;uul  to  place  him  In  force  upon 


'V  :- •- 

<- 


1  I 

r-fiMiiilp 

I  •    ,          ,ar-w..-»v  .»*».«•»..  ..^ ..OTuJ"          ,.        ,     .-.r      -.1    ^»5,' 

•    '<•-.-  '  Vr     ".v       '•-  -'  ?-^'-".  »**;*•   '%5«.        -^ 

i  •      'i'£&i  •••      ;    R*.<    I  .--'  :;^  C     -^ 


\  tliroiic.  Imr   -nrh  .1  rouisf  \\onKl  (.'t'l'taink'  nor 

•••  pi'M\i  i!   rhr   M  hri'Mis  ''t   tin-    Ri-puMu'  \\uli  the 

I'    ;••  ..;!'.      '        '       h    h:ni    hrt  n    r  In-    M  ilc    <  ih  jcct    ot    t  lir 

'  >n  tin-  otluT  haiul,  it  M-t-ninl  minossihlc  c\c-n 


x     DOCKS   IN    FOURTEENTH   CKNTURV    291 

ro  agree  upon  the  names  of  candidates,  in  order  to 
proceed  to  an  election.  1  he  electors  tell  into  a  state  of 
apathy  of  which  there  is  probably  no  example  in  history; 
thev  moved  about  in  an  objectless  war,  talking  listlessly 
of  anything  that  occurred  to  them;  they  even  lingered 
at  the  open  windows  of  the  palace,  to  watch  the  people 
passing  in  the  street. 

As  thev  looked  down,  they  saw  an  aged  nobleman 
slowlv  walking  toward  the  postern  gate  of  the  prisons, 
followed  bv  a  servant  who  carried  a  big  sack  of  bread, 
so  full  that  the  loaves  protruded  from  the  open  mouth. 
It  was  Mann  Zor/.i,  a  charitable  and  devout 

....  -  A'(>w.  Hi.  Sj. 

person,   on    his    wav   to   distribute   food    to 

the  poor  prisoners.      He  was  the  very  man.      Before  he 

bad  left  the  prisons,  he  was  elected  Doge. 

Unhappily  this  hastv  choice  did  not  improve  matters. 
An  old  chronicler  sums  up  in  a  few  words  the  short 
reign  that  followed  :  /or/i  lived  ten  months,  during 
which  he  never  saw  the  sea  calm  nor  the  sun  without 
clouds.  All  that  remained  to  mark  his  reign  was  an 
asylum  for  poor  children,  the  earliest  foundation  of  the 
kind  in  the  world. 

In  less  than  a  year,  therefore,  another  election  took 
place,  and  as  the  experiment  of  looking  out  of  the  pal- 
ace windows  in  the  hope  of  seeing  the  right  man  pass 
in  the  street  had  been  a  failure-,  the  electors  were  shut 
up,  windows  and  balcony  doors  were  closelv  sealed, 
and  the  tortv-one  were  driven  to  look  at  each  other. 
In  a  short  time  thev  elected  Giovanni  Soran/o  by 
a  considerable  majority. 


>,,2  (il  1.  \\INCS    FROM    HISTORY  x 

So  tar  as  1  can  ascertain,  be  was  horn  in  1240,  and 
\\as  therefore  about  seventy-one  vcars  old  in  i  .;  i  i  ;  but 
the  longcvitv  of  the-  Venetian  nobles  was 
alwavs  remarkable,  and  he  \\as  destined  to 
reiLMi  se\ellteell  Veai'S.  He  had  reiltlered  the  Republic 
\  erv  eminent  service  on  more  than  one  occasion,  and  was 
a  man  of  astounding  actmtv.  lo  mention  onlv  a  tew 
incidents  of  his  busv  hte,  in  its  later  years,  he  had 
commanded  a  fleet  ot  twentv-ti\e  <j.alle\s  a<iamst  the 
( u-noese  when  alread\  httv-six  vcars  old,  had  taken 
possession  ot  the  port  ot  C'atla  and  had  defended  it 
during  a  whole  winter  against  the  combined  attacks  ot 
the  (  leiioese  and  the  I  artars,  and  had  captured  a  <M>odlv 
number  of  nchlv  laden  (  iciioese  vessels.  (  )n  his  return 
to  \  emce  he  had  been  received  \\ith  honours  resembling 
those  of  a  triumph,  and  hail  soon  fount!  himself  in 
arms  a^ain,  bur  on  land  this  rime,  against  Padua  first, 
and  then  a^a  inst  1'  err  a  ra,  \\  Inch  he  had  a  1  read  \  govei  nctl 
as  Podesta.  \\lien  at  hist  recalled  to  \eince  he  had 
occupied  the  important  position  ot  a  procurator  of 
Saint  Mark,  from  \\hich  post  he  was  elected  Doge  to 

succeed     \1  anil    /or /I. 

••'.-raii/o  \\as  undi-niabb  one  of  tin-  most  illustrious 
tin  n  i  lected  to  the  Do|_^eship  in  the  course  ot  its  exist- 
ence ''I  exacth  e!e\eti  hundred  veal's.  It  is  enough 
to  -..r.  that  he  reconciled  the  Repub  ic  \\ith  the  Pope, 
and  reconquered  Dalmatia;  and  that,  in  spite  of  the 
if  moiie\  which  b'lth  tbesi'  undertakm<is  cost, 
In  protected  and  de\  eloped  \enetian  manufacture  and 
-''  il  il  iL'ent  !\  as  to  increase  the  public  wealth 


x     DOGES    IN    FOURTEENTH   CENTURY    293 

instead  <>t  diminishing  it.  It  \vas  during  his  reign  that 
the  weaving  of  silk  stuffs  in  Venice  reached  a  perfection 
hitherto  undreamt  of,  surpassing,  according  to  the  taste 
of  the  day,  the  fabrics  of  the  Eevant  and  driving  them 
out  of  the  market.  Under  Soran/o  the  glass-works  of 
Murano  produced  mirrors  that  outdid  the  verv  best  that 
could  be  made  in  Germany,  for  clearness  and  brilliancy. 
At  the  same  time,  the  Arsenal  of  Venice  was  greatly 
extended  by  the  addition  of  new  basins,  windmills  were 
set  up  all  over  the  islands,  many  like  improvements, 
then  modern,  were  introduced,  a  general  condition  of 
ease  and  well-being  extended  through  all  classes,  and 
the  population  increased  more  quickly  than  ever  before. 
1  he  State  could  count  fortv  thousand  men  between  the 
ajfes  of  twenty  and  sixty  years  who  were  able  to  bear 
arms.  I*  or  a  silver  ducat  a  man  could  buv  enough  meat 
and  Hour  to  support  him  for  a  week,  with  as  much  wine 
as  he  needed,  and  wood  to  cook  with  and  to  warm  him. 
So  Giovanni  Soran/o  reigned  in  success  and  plenty 
and  honour  to  the  verv  end  of  his  long  life.  ^  et  in 
all  those  seventeen  years  he  cannot  have  counted  one 
dav  trulv  happy,  and  main'  must  have  been  profoundly 
saddened  by  the  knowledge  of  his  own  daughter's 
sufferings  in  her  captivitv  at  the  convent  of  the  \  er<Min. 
1  ime  and  again  she  poured  out  her  heart  to  him,  in 
letters  which  he  was  not  even  allowed  to  answer  without 
permission  of  his  counsellors,  and  probably  of  the 
recently  elected  Council  of  1  en  ;  and  the  old  captain, 
whose  commanding  voice  had  been  heard  aboxe  main 
storms  at  sea,  and  main  a  Hirht  on  land,  had  to  humble 


2u4          <;i.K.\NIN(;S    FROM    HISTORY  x 

himself    before    the    Power,    aiul    humbly    beg    a    little 
sunshine,  an  hour's  liberty,  tor  tin-  daughter  he-  adored. 

1  In-v  saw  each  other  rarely  enough  tor  a  lonii  time 
Ir  was  nor  rill  rlu-  great  old  man's  strength  was  breaking 
d<>wn  beneath  the  weight  ot  nearly  ninctv  vears  that 
his  daughter  was  allowed  to  leave  her  prison  more 
frequently  that  she  might  tend  him  and  cheer  his 
declining  davs.  lie  died  in  her  arms  in  the  end,  on 
the-  last  dav  ot  December  in  the  vear  i  ^iS,  eighty-eight 
vears  old;  and  the  unhappy  woman  must  have  found 
some  small  comfort  in  the  universal  grief  that  rose  to 
meet  her  own.  She  went  back  to  her  cell;  but  the 
hodv  of  tin-  great  Doge  was  laid  our  in  ;i  hall  ot  rhe 
palace,  dressed  in  rhe  mantle  of  state  and  rhe  ducal  cap. 
lie  \\as  borne  thence  to  Saint  Mark's,  \\hither  the' 
Dogess  had  mine  before-  with  her  ladies,  and  when  tin- 
last  requiem  had  been  sun<^  (iiovanni  Soran/o  was  laid 
m  the  chapel  of  rhe  baptistery.  Ills  simple  tomb  bears 
the  arms  ot  his  tamilv  and  little  else-  that  tells  of  his 
ijorv,  as  all  mav  see  to  this  da\  . 

1  In-  Liri-at  bell  had  scarcelv  (.•eased  to  toll  for  him, 
when  ir  ran^  out  the  summons  to  elect  his  successor, 
and  the  C  ouncil  nn-t  to  this  end.  Bur  Soran/o  s  IVILMI 
had  made  changes,  \\hich,  as  rhe\'  came  gradually,  were 
nor  noticed,  bur  \\lnch  \\crc  plain  enoiiLih  now  that  a 
in-^  DO^IC  was  to  be  chosen.  Prosperity  had  increased 
\astlv,  and  \\irh  ir  lu\ur\-,  and  the  magnificence  of  all 
r  hat  i  r  i resen tc-d  tin-  Republic's  power.  Soran/o  had  been 
\  <  r\  rich,  but  his  successor  nn^lit  he  poor.  Soran/o  hail 
tilled  rlu  ducal  palace  with  his  o\\  n  plate,  his  <>\\n  arra\ 


x     D(X;KS    IX    FOIRTKFATH    CENTURY    295 

of  servants  and  footmen,  and  all  his  rich  belongings. 
Ambassadors  had  come  and  gone,  and  had  seen  how  the 
Doge  lived  ;  it  might  not  be  that  thev  should  come  again, 
and  find  a  poor  man  living  under  the  same  root,  dining 
ofi  earthenware  dishes  and  served  by  a  tew  threadbare 
retainers.  \  enice  had  manv  faults,  and  \  enice,  as  a 
citv,  loved  money,  but  Venice,  the  Republic,  was  never 
sordid,  nor  miserly,  nor  mean.  Before  the  Council 
elected  the  next  Doge,  a  large  provision  was  settled 
upon  his  office  tor  e\er;  his  salarv  was  increased  from 
tour  thousand  ducats  to  rive  thousand  two  hundred, 
which  is  far  more,  considering  the  value  of  monev,  than 
the  President  ot  the  I  mted  States  receives  to-dav;  the 
ducal  palace  was  amply  furnished  \\ith  vessels  ot  <mld 
and  silver;  it  was  made  a  rule  that  the  Doge  was  hence- 
forth to  keep  five-and-twenty  servants,  neither  more 
nor  less,  and  that  each  should  have  two  new  liveries 
every  year.  In  case  the-  new  sovereign  should  not  have 
reach"  means  at  hand  to  defray  the  expenses  ot  his 
coronation  and  ot  his  change  of  domicile,  it  was  decreed 
that  a  loan  (for  business  was  business)  of  three  thousand 
lire  should  be  placed  at  his  disposal  out  of  State  funds; 
and,  finally,  a  jeweller  was  ordered  to  make  a  verv  rich 
crown,  which  the  Doge  was  to  \\ear  on  in'eat  occasions, 
and  which  was  to  be  in  the-  keeping  of  the  procurators 
of  Saint  Mark. 

\\  hen  Soran/.o  had  been  elected,  an  anciont  custom 
still  prevailed  bv  which  the-  population  was  allowed  to 
lovouslv  plunder  the  house  ot  the  new  I  )O<H-  ot  all  it 
contained  that  was  movable,  precisely  as  the  populace 


i.f  |\<inie  p  undcrcd  tin-  house  ot  the  cardinal  who 
\\as  i  UA ted  I'ope,  until  ;i  much  later  dare.  I  his  halt- 
cm  ised  practice  \\as  no\\  torhidden  in  \enice  under 
lu-a \  \  pena Ifk-s. 

All  rlns  \\as  aureed  upon,  set  down  atul  made  law, 
before  hi-iiinniiiL!;  tin-  process  ot  balloting  bv  \\hich  the 
torrv-onc  electors  ot  the  Do^e  \\ere  chosen. 

J  lu-ii'    choice     tell     upon     I'rancesco     Dandolo,     the 

skiltul    diplomatist    bv    \\hose    efforts    Clement    \.    had 

been  mil  need  to  remo\  e  the  excommunication  of  \  en  ice, 

and  the  enthusiasm  ot  the  people  on  learning  tlie  result 

\\as    in    proportion    to    \\hat    tlu-\"    had    siith-red    during 

the    pi-nod    of    the    interdict,    not    vet    forgotten.       1  he 

multitude    mo\ed    \\ith    one   \\ill    to\\ards    his    duelling, 

and    \\ere    tor    carr\'in^    him    in    triumph    to    the-    ducal 

pa  lace  ;  hut  he  strontdv  protested  a  LI  a  i  n--t  a  n\  such  show, 

thouidi    the    throng    pressed    uj)on    him    on    his    \\;i\    to 

Saint    Mark's.       I  here    he    knelt    before    the    hudi    altar 

and    receued    the    nncstitui'e   ot    his    ln^h    dignity,    and 

the    oath    of    tulehtv    hetore    the    headmen    of    the 

as   representati\  es  of  the  people  of   the  citv  and 

\  •     etia  n    ternti  >r\'.      I  limsdf     hea  rniL1    the 

-tan  lard   of    Saint    Mark    in    his    ri'jjit   hand.   IK-  entered 

the  ducal  palace,  j-o  ndrd  the  ^i\-at  staircase-  -      not  \ct 

'(jiai'ts      >raireasr      o]     our    tune         and     on     the 

liest    step    took    oath    i"    ohsene    all    the    ohh-jat  ions 

L  I  )ucal   I'ro]  I  he  senior  member 

'.  n  (        i     '         ,  ackm  i\\  led L'li lent  ot 

rh,  anil  tin      eol,        •        d  in  breathless  s'.U-nce  to 

ut    in 


THE    PULPIT,    ST.    MARK'S 


x  DOGES  IX  FOURTEENTH  CENTURY  297 

renewed   and  yet  more  enthusiastic   applause  when   he- 
had  finished. 

During  the  following  days  festivities  were  organised 
tor  the  coronation  ot  the  Dogess,  much  more  various 
and  of  longer  duration  than  those  which 

'  .  Rom.  Hi.  109. 

greeted  her  husband  s  elevation  to  the 
throne.  In  older  times,  when  the  head  of  the  Republic 
still  possessed  real  power,  his  wife  played  no  official  part 
in  State  ceremonies.  She  lived  as  before,  and  the  Doge 
could  retire  to  her  apartments  and  be  in  his  home  as  if  he 
were  a  private  person,  much  as  the  modern  I  urk  takes 
refuge  m  his  harem.  At  most,  the  Dogess,  as  the  first 
matron  of  the  city,  might  outdo  other  patrician  women 
in  assisting  public  and  private  chanties;  but  when  the 
Doge's  personal  authority  was  almost  gone,  and  he  was 
required,  in  a  degree,  to  compensate  its  loss  by  a  certain 
amount  of  display  and  ceremony,  intended  to  please 
the  people  and  impose  upon  the  representatives  of 
foreign  powers,  the  presence  and  influence  of  a  woman 
became  temporarily  necessarv.  I  he  Dogess  then  re- 
ceived a  court  ot  her  own,  and  was  required  to  wear  a 
special  dress,  and  tor  her  a  complete  ceremonial  was  de- 
vised, from  which  she  could  not  withdraw  herself 
without  incurring  the  displeasure  of  her  husband  and 
of  the  State  itself. 

\  rom  the  moment  when  the  joyful  multitude  pressed 
to  the  doors  ot  Dandolo's  palace,  his  wife  remained 
within,  according  to  the  new  laws  of  conduct  laid 
down  tor  her.  Then  came  the  Hi<di  Chancellor, 
as  representative  of  the  people,  and  the  Doge's  six 


counsellors,  to  present  their  congratulations  ami  to 
'rnjucst  or  require-  her  strict  obserxance  ot  such 

clausc-s  in  the  Ducal  Promise-  as  directly  concerned  her- 
-(.•It.  \\lnn  tlu-se  jn-rsona*;es  withdrew,  she  presented 
each  \\irh  a  maLMiihcent  <j;()ld-emhroidered  purse. 

\    te\\    elavs    later,    \\hen    all    was    ready   tor   the   cere- 
mom',  rhev  came  to  fetch   her  with  the-   Iniccntaur,  ami 
in    lu-r   honour   \\as    renewed    the   spectacle 
\\inch  had  been  iM\en  halt  a  century  earlier 
tor     the     wife     ot      Loreii/o      I  u  polo.        'I  he     vast     and 
splendid   har^e   had    but   a    tew   times    its   o\\  n    length   to 
move   from    Dandoln's   palace   to   the   land- 
ing "t    rlu-    I'la/./.etta.       \n    minu nsr  crowd 
\\  as    (gathered    rlu  re,    from   the    borders   of    the   canal    to 
rhe     door     of     the     Basilica,     a     sufficient     space     bein^ 
kept  open   in    its   midst   to;-  rhe   ehspla\    ot    rhe   1  )o^ess's 
pa  iu-a  nt . 

I  In  tMiilds  ot  rhe  arts  and  trades  had  been  pn\  ile^ed 
to  escort  tin-  \\ite  ot  l.oren/o  I  icpolo  to  the  church  : 
hi-t  rhe  blacksmiths  \\ith  H\m^  banner;  then  the 
merchants  of  tin.  dressed  m  their  richest  garments 
.m  1  mos]  priceless  saliles,  ami  \\e-arim;  e  rmuu-s  tit  for 
an  eniju-rnr;  the  \\e-a\e-rs  next,  sin^niL!.  at  the-  top 
'it  their  \oice-s  to  the  music  of  trumpe-ts  and  c\nibals, 
and  Inarms  both  sibi-r  cups  and  Hajions  full  ot  \\ine-. 

\ftel      r    le     \\ia\el-     illi       tailors     catlH'     111     the-     dress     ot 

f   n  M     riaei      L"ii  d.    \\   nit     robes    embroidered    \\ith     red 

;  M    :     and   the   \\oiil-mi  rchants   bore  (>h\e   branches   in 


x    DOGES    IN    FOURTEENTH    CENTURY    299 

crowned  with  gold  beads,  and  wore  on  their  shoulders 
white  cloaks  embroidered   with  fleur-de-lis:  and  there 


were  the  sellers  of  cloth  ot  gold,  and  the  shoemakers, 
the  mercers,  the  pork-butchers,  the  glass-blowers,  the 
jewellers  and  the  barbers,  all  displaying  the  rich  and 


•  (  II. 1.  \\I\CS    FROM    HISTORY  x 

t .1  in asr ic  o Brumes  i >t  rhi'ir  guilds  in  the  great  procession, 
a   \  er\    splendid  siuhr. 

1  bus  escorred  the  Dogess  entered  Saint  Mark's,  and 
knelr  at  tin-  hi<di  ;ilr;ir,  and  before  sin-  went  a\vav  she 
deposited  thereon  an  offering  ot  ten  ducats.  I  hen  she 
was  led  r<>  the  throne-room  of  the-  palace  and  rook  her 
seat  beiiearh  a  canopv  beside  her  husband  the  Done. 
I  In-  ceremonv  ended  \\irh  a  lui^e  and  simipruors 
baiKjiiet,  to  which  \\c-re  united  all  the  heads  of  the 

"inlds  \\  b.o  bad  appeared  in  the  iirocession. 
r~  i  t 

Francesco  Dandolo  was  a  man  ot  wit  and  ot  manv 
resources.  It  is  related,  though  without  serious  proof, 
that  he  had  mo\ed  Clement  \.  to  jiit\  b\  appi-ann^, 
as  ambassatlor,  in  a  prnitent  s  dress,  and  \\'eann^  an 
iron  collar,  \\i-epini;  ami  moaning,  and  rijmainmg  pros- 
trati-  at  rhr  pontiff's  feet.  It  has  even  been  said  that 
one  or  more  of  tin-  cardinals  kicked  him  as  IK-  lav  there-, 
called  him  a  do^,  and  otherwise  insulted  him;  bur  tbar 
In-  bore  all  patiently  for  Ins  country's  sake.  (  )ne 
authorm  explains,  however,  that  the  nickname  of 
'don,  or  'watch-dog,  hail  been  bestowed  upon  Ins 
tami  \  lonn  before  that  rime,  as  'Cane,'  don,  ;m,] 
'Mastmo,  mastiff,  were  actually  used  as  baptismal 
names  in  the  Lii'eat  lamib  ot  Scala. 

Me     lel'.MU  (1     tell     \faI"S,     \\ltll     tol'tlllle     good     ailll     e\ll, 

but    chiefh     Liood.      Moie    than    once,    in    his    time,    the 
',    ol   the  State  was  LM"a\cl\    nu-naced,  bur  all  ended 
\\  i  II.   and   tlu    stun  o(    his   administration   \\as  a   ^am   to 
\  i  Iliee. 

Smee    the    IH  "iniiin"    <  >|    the    fourteenth    c(.-ntur\    the 


THE    CHAPEL   OF    ST.    MARK'S 


x    DOCKS    IN    FOURTKKN'IH    CKNTL'RV    301 

citv  of   Padua  had  been  a  prey  to  faction  and  internal 
strife.       1  he    aristocratic    party    fought    for 
the  family  of  the  Scala,  while  the  citr/ens 
and  people  were  devoted  to  the  house  of  Carrara.      By 
turns  the  two  families  got  the  advantage  and   held  the 
power,  but  the  Carrara  were  reallv  the  stronger,  for  the 
\  enetians  helped  them,  on  the  ground  that  one  of  them, 
jacopo,    had    married    a    daughter   of    the    Doge    Pietro 
( Jradenigo. 

At  last  Cane  della  Scala  made  a  sort  of  alliance 
with  his  rivals,  and  having  got  the  mastery  in  several 
other  cities,  installed  Marsilio  Carrara  in  Padua  as  his 
lieutenant  and  representative.  Had  Cane  della  Scala 
lived  this  might  have  worked  well  enough;  on  his 
unexpected  death,  his  sons  began  to  contrive  how  they 
should  get  rid  of  Marsilio;  but  they  lacked  skill  and 
decision,  and  could  neither  conceal  their  intentions  nor 
ai>ree  upon  definite  action.  1  o  make-  matters  worse, 
one  of  them,  .Alberto  della  Scala,  became  madly 
enamoured  of  the  wife  of  Albernno  Carrara,  and  when 
every  means  failed  to  seduce  her,  took  her  to  him- 
self bv  brutal  violence.  .After  this  outrage,  the  thirst 
for  vengeance  drove  the  Carrara  further  than  mere 
ambition  could  have  done. 

1  he  crimes  of  the  Scala,  no  less  than  their  miserable 
weakness  m  all  political  matters,  had  excited  the  pro- 
found resentment  of  \enice,  of  Florence,  of  Lucca,  and 
of  the  (lon/.aga  and  Kste  families;  war  was  declared, 
and  it  was  not  lon<j;  before  the  lords  of  Padua  were 
reduced  to  extremities.  I  houirh  thev  had  always 


>  i        cu.  \MN(;s  I'koM  HISTORY  \ 

in.! mt amed  ;i  hauijjitv  bearing  towards  \  emce,  thev  n<>\\ 
attempted  a  reconciliation,  and  chose  as  their  mter- 
niediarv  Marsilio  ill  Carrara,  whom  thev  believed  to  be 
a  traitor  to  his  own  tamilv  and  devoted  to  their  interests, 
and  tor  whom  tin-  Republic  had  always  shown  a  certain 
partiahtv,  appreciating  him,  no  douht,  at  his  true  value, 
and  anticipating  the  time  when  he  might  he-  useful. 

l!ur  Marsilio,  like  every  other  Carrara,  dreamt  onlv 
ot  revenge  upon  tin-  Scala.  .At  a  <n'ear  public  spectacle 
he  was  seated  b\  the  Do^e.  '\\hat  will  \"ou  give,'  he 
asked  in  a  quick  whisper,  'to  him  who  places  Padua  in 
voiir  hands?'  '  I  he  cirv  itselt,  ans\\ered  brancesco 
Dandolo  \\ithout  the  slightest  hesitation.  I  he  un- 
Ni^tied  nvat\  ot  hetrax'al  \\as  agreed  iijion  m  those  te\\ 
\\hispered  words,  and  was  executed  to  the  letter  and  at 
•  Mice.  I'adua  \\  as  taki-n  b\  the  \enetians  and  handed 
o\  er  to  the  Carrara  under  a  sort  ot  agreement  t  torn  \\  Inch 
each  (it  the  allies  derived  smile  advantage,  and  there 
\\as  ;m  exchange  nt  high-rlown  sjiec-ches,  amongst  \\hich 
that  ot  the  \eiietian  l.oredano  recommended  the  most 
M-ivne  Repuh  ic's  nc\\  <a\ountes  to  beha\e  with  <^rc'at 
goodness  to  her  suhic-cts,  and  to  exhibit  much  gratitude 
to\\arils  her.  '  >n  his  sidi-  Marsilio  begged  that  her 
'kind  other-.  mi(_dit  be  continued  to  him  and  his. 

Mir     C(  ill-r(|  IK  llCrs     i  it      tills      tl"eat\'     NNi'l'e     soon      cU'ai". 

\eiihe  nominalh  'j.a\r  Padua  over  to  the  Carrara  in 
order  to  obtain  tin-  annexation  ot  I  reviso,  \\hich  was 

miieh  more  imp' >i't .mt  to  IHT,  and  Alberto  della  Scala 
V;  a  -  ii^r  s<-r  at  hbritx  nil  lu  had  ceded  the  latter  cit\  to 

I    lr     Republic. 


x    DOCKS    IX    FOURTEENTH    CENTURY    303 

At  the  death  of  Francesco  Danclolo,  one  naval  battle 
lost  to  the  Genoese  represented  \  enice's  loss  during  the 
reign  ;  her  gain  was  an  extension  of  territory  of  immense 
value;  the  whole  result  was  to  involve  the  Republic  in 
intrigues  which  very  nearly  led  to  her  destruction. 

At  the  very  end  of  Dandolo's  reign,  according  to 
a  strange  storv  told  by  Gabaro,  a  half-comic,  half- 
dramatic  incident  occurred  which  showed  Mumtori  scrip. 
well  enough  that  the  'kind  offices'  of 
the  Republic  and  the  'goodness'  of  che  Carrara  were 
not  destined  to  last  for  ever.  Marsiho  was  dead  and 
L  bertino  Carrara  held  Padua  as  his  successor.  Before 
long  he  was  denounced  bv  certain  \  enetian  senator.-,  as  a 
traitor  and  a  secret  enemv  to  the  Republic.  The  words 
were  reported  to  him,  and  he  resolved  to  make  sure,  at 
anv  ha/ard,  that  they  should  not  be  repeated.  In- 
credible as  it  may  seem,  he  caused  the  senators  who  had 
accused  him  to  be  sei/ed  by  night  m\  emce  itself,  gagged 
and  bound,  and  at  once  brought  before  him  in  Padua. 

He  threatened  them  at  first  with  instant  death,  then 
allowed  himself  to  be  mollified  bv  their  entreaties,  and 
finally  dismissed  them  with  a  warning.  If  they  ever 
raised  their  voices  against  him  in  the  Senate  again,  or  it 
thev  breathed  one  word  of  their  nocturnal  adventure, 
he  would  have  them  stabbed  without  mercv.  I  hev 
promised,  and  thev  kept  their  word  ;  from  that  time  tor- 
ward  no  attack  was  made  upon  I  bertino  Carrara  in  the 
Senate,  the  storv  ot  their  forcible  abduction  remained 
a  profound  secret,  which  was  not  revealed  until  manv 
vears  afterwards,  when  one  ot  the  Carrara's  henchmen, 


CI.LAMNCS    FROM    HISTORY  \ 

helped  to  carrv  oH  tin-  senators,  l;iv  dvmg  and 
confessed  his  share-  in  tin-  hold  deed. 

Dandolo  was  succeeded  h\'  Bartolommeo  (Jradenigo, 
during  whose  rei<Mi  there  were  constant  relations  between 
tin-  Republic  and  Lngland,  tin-  latter  con- 
tmuallv  soliciting  the  aid  of  \  enice  against 
I'hihp  \  I.  ot  1'  ranee,  who  was  helped  bv  tlu-  (  lenoese. 
(iradenigo  did  not  fail  to  express  gratitude  to  Km;j; 
Lduard  III.  tor  the  thankful  anticipation  of  an  assist- 
ance which  was  r.ever  forthcoming,  and  took  no  steps 
to  induce  the  Senate  to  listen  to  Lngland's  tempting 
proposals.  I  he  kmjj.  hoped  to  obtain  from  \enice 
tort\  ships  of  \\  a  r,  full\'  manned  and  equipped;  but 
Venice  either  doubted  his  ahihtv  to  pa\',  or  was  scared 
bv  the  triumphant  progress  of  the  I  urks  in  the  Levant. 
which  required  her  to  act  sentinel  to  Lurope  against 
the  Mohammedan  advance,  and  therefore  to  keep  all 
her  na\al  resources  well  in  hand  and  readv  for  war; 
and.  moreover,  she  \\as  engaged  in  continual  righting 
in  Candia  (Crete),  \\lnch  \\as  an  unci-asing  drain  upon 

he!'    I'esoiirci-s. 

\T  this  critical  rime,  when  the  position  of  Venice  was 

b\    slo\\  and  sure-  degrees  becoming  one  oi   grt  at  danger. 

the      Doge     died,     and      tin-    j^reat     Andrea 

Dandolo  was  elected   in   Ins  stead.      I   nder 


less      ifted    and 


eaersi      o     a     ess      ite      an          ra\ 


man,  tin    slup  ol    the    Ri-pubhc   might   well 

have-    foundei'eil    in    the    stoi'm    that     broke 

over  her.       I  he  King  oi   I  I  un^a  i  \    disputed  \\  it  h  V  en  ice 

for    /ara    and    the    tcrntorv    that    belonged    to    ir  ;     the 


x    DOr.KS    IN    FOl'RTKKXTH    CKNTt'RV    305 

Genoese  were  exasperated  in  the  highest  degree  by  the 
commercial  success  of"  the  Venetians  in  the  hast;    the 


Pope  was  angry  with  the  Republic  because  its  govern- 
ment would  not  make  obligatory  the  payment  of  tithes 

O  .  I 

VUl  .    I. X 


•  '  (,,1.1. AMNCS    FROM    HISTORY  x 

to  rln-  bishops.  I  hcse-were  bur  a  tew  ot  rhe  half- 
LM'own  trou'hles  rhar  \\c-iv  rapidlv  growing  to  marunr\' 
,\  hen  rln-  plagiu-  broke  our  in  I  ^S  and  eh-\  astate  d  Italv 
t!'om  (  leiioa  in  the  north,  where  torrv  thousand  persons 
died,  to  Sicilian  I  rapam,  where  nor  one-  soul  survived 
rhe  universal  death.  In  six  months  \emce  lost  more 
than  halt  her  population. 

Boccaccio  has  left  a  description  of  rhe-  pest  in  Florence 
\\hich  is  the  greatest  masterpiece  ot  rhe  kind  ever  pro- 
duced hv  a  LM'ear  writer's  pen;  for  his  storv  tills  us 
\\irh  horrow,  \\irh  pin,  with  sadness,  bur  neve-r  arouses 
our  disgust.  I  he  sufferings  of  \  emce  in  those-  same- 
six  months  have  found  neither  poe-t  nor  novelist  to 
describe  them,  but  her  careful  chroniclers  have  K-tr  us 
tin-  derails  ot  rln-  detence  she  made  against  rhe  rava^e-s 
of  rhe  sickness,  and  of  rhe  medicines  used  in  the-  at- 
tempt ti  >  sa\  e  lite. 

As  soon  as  rln-  tirst  cases  ot  rln-  plague  had  proved 
hevoiul  doubr  that  ir  had  crossed  the-  lagoons  and 

reached    rhe    cir\ ,    rln-    Council    appointed 

. . 
three  nobles,  designated   as  '\\ise    Men  of 

tin-  IMa^ue,  \\ith  po\\er  to  take  all  possible-  me-asure-s 
to  ,top  the  spreading  of  tin-  contagion.  I  heir  first 
decree  lorhadc  tin  poor  to  expose  the  bodies  ot  rhell 
dead  in  the  street  in  order  to  obtain  alms.  A  separate 
burial-place-  \\as  marked  out  and  consecrated  to:  the 
t'ii  burial  of  tin  \ictmis  ot  the  disease.  I  In  port  \\as 
closed,  and  si  -mine  s  \\  t  -re  placed  all  along  the  oiirer 
si loii  ot  tin  islands  to  hinder  all  outsiders  from  landing 
or  h'om  introducing  suspicious  merchandise. 


A    RAINY    NIGHT,   THE    RIALTO 


x  DOGES  IN  FOURTEENTH  CKNTURV   307 

The  physicians  were  at  that  time  already  organised 
in   a   guild   of   their  own,   and    received   from   the   State 
a   modest  yearly  stipend  of  three  hundred        cccchetti 
lire   of    'piccoli,'    about   £,50.      I  hey    were 
now  ordered  to  visit  diligently  both   the   hospitals  and 
private   houses,   and   a   formal   inquiry  was      ,./.  p,a,chet, 
made    into    the    resources    of    the    public      ^'"wrs- 
apothecary,  whose  place  was  near  the  Rialto  at  the  sign 
of    the    Golden    Head.      It    was    most    im- 

Alutinelli,  Less. 

portant  to  ascertain  whether  there  was  a 
sufficient  supply  of  '  1  enaca,'  a  medicine  which,  in  the 
opinion  of  all  \  enetians,  could  not  fail  to  cure  the 
plague  or  any  other  sickness.  The  recipe  for  it,  they 
believed,  had  come  down  from  a  Greek  called  Andro- 
machos,  and  required  a  mixture  of  aromatic  herbs, 
amber,  and  other  ingredients,  which  were  imported  at 
great  expense  from  distant  Eastern  countries.  I  he  State 
itself  superintended  the  concoction  of  this  universal 
panacea,  lest  its  quality  should  in  the  least  deteriorate, 
and  lest  the  great  reputation  acquired  for  it  throughout 
Europe  should  suffer.  No  stranger  who  could  afford 
to  buv  it  left  \emce  without  taking  at  least  a  small 
supply,  and  so  great  were,  or  are,  its  virtues  that  it  is 
made  to  this  day,  and  sold  at  the  same  sign. 

But,  to  the  stupefaction  of  the  three  "  Wise  Men  of 
the  Plague/  I  enaca  would  not  cure  the  malady,  and 
even  the  sensible  precautions  of  quarantine  which  they 
had  taken  came  too  late  to  be  of  any  use.  1  he  malady 
was  raging,  and  ran  its  fearful  course  to  the  terrible  end. 
Fifty  noble  families  were  completely  destroyed,  not 


_>oS          (il.l.AMNCS    FROM    HISTORY  \ 

Ka\m^  one  of  the  name.  Ir  was  onlv  with  difficulty 
tli.it  .1  meeting  <>t  tin-  Circuit  Council  could  In-  got 
Together,  ;nul  rlu-  Council  of  1'orrv  was  reduced  to 
r\\(  nrv  numbers.  In  ;i  tew  weeks  \  emce  presented  the 
aspect  of  ;i  pestilent  desert;  and  when  ;ir  last  the  pc-sr 
\vort-  ir.st.-lt  our,  ir  \\.is  in-cfss;ir\'  ro  bring  in  from  noi^h- 
hounng  pro1.  iiHH-.s  ;i  ^rt-;ir  number  of  fainilu-s,  upon 
whom  ;ill  rliosr  pnvik'^cs  \\i-rc-  bestowed  ;ir  once-  \\lncli 
\\ere  LH-IHT;I||V  accorded  onl\  in  consideration  of  some 
ser\ice  ro  rlu-  Republic,  or  after  a  prolonged  residence 
in  \  eiietian  reri'iroi~\'. 

I  In-  selection  of  the-  immigrants  \\as  conducted  with 
the  *M"earest  prudence,  and  it  ma\  easiU'  br  believed 
rhat  tin-  iM'eat  mrluN  of  nc\\  ami  t-iu-rm-ric  blood,  of  the 
same  descent,  was  of  \ast  benefit  ro  rhe  cir\'  and  the 
Republic.  Ir  ma\  (.-\en  be  asked  whether,  without  this 
wholesome  .sitrm^  and  renewing  of  lu-r  people,  \emce 
could  ha\e  performed  the  prodigies  of  courage  and 
endurance  \\lncli  nor  lon<^  atteruards  turiu-d  the  rule 
<  'I  rlu-  C  'lin  >mj_ia  \\  a  r. 

Andrea  Dandolo  dul  not  long  sur\i\e  these  c-\cnrs. 
\\oin  out  \\irh  facing  rlu-  storm,  with  fighting  enemies 
b\  land  and  si-a  abroad,  aiu  pestilence  at  home,  he  died 
when  ban  \  titt\  vears  of  a^c,  leaxing  ro  posfcnt\'  the 
precious  mamiscnpi  of  Ins  historv,  \\hu-li  has  e\cn  no\\' 
nut  In •(  n  entiieb  published.  Ills  Chronicle  is  one  of 
the  richest  sources  of  information  for  tin-  historv  of  rlie 
fourteenth  cent urv. 

l)ando|o  \\as  suci'eeded   b\     Marino    hahero. 


DOOR    OF    THE    TREASURY.    ST.    MARK'S 


•'"•<•  ';_..!*' 


XI 


CONSPIRACY   OF    MARINO    FALIKRO 

I  HI-:  conspiracy  ot  Bocconio  has  no  verv  distinct  char- 
acter; it  was  neither  an  attempt  at  popular  revolution, 
nor  an  effort  on  the  part  of  the  burghers  against  tin- 
people  on  the  one  hand  and  the  anstocracv  on  tin- 
other.  I  he  outbreak  under  the-  leadership  of  I  it-polo 
and  the  Ouinni,  although  thev  succeeded  in  <^i\'inL!;  it 
tlu-  appc-aranci-  ot  a  democratic  movi-nu-nt.  \\  as  in  reality 
an  attempt  on  the  part  of  an  ambitious  noble  to  su/.e 


310         GLEANINGS    FROM    HISTORY  xi 

the-  power  wielded  by  the  Doge  IV-tro  Gradenigo, 
a  man  perhaps  as  ambitious  as  1  it-polo  himself,  bur 
who  at  all  events  had  been  regularly  elected  to  he 
the  head  ot  the  Republic.  1  he  third  conspiracy 
of  which  we  Hud  an  account  during  the  fourteenth 
ccnturv  was  undoubtedly  meant  to  overthrow  the 
government,  and  to  gather  into  one  hand  the  whole  ot 
that  authority  which  belonged  equally  to  all  members 
of  the  same  class.  1  he  conspiracy  of  the  Do^e  Marino 
Faliero  has  been  related  in  main'  ways  -  as  a  romance-, 
as  a  poem,  as  an  instance  of  political  passion,  but  very 
generally  without  a  careful  consideration  of  the  facts. 
Most  writers  represent  the  old  Done  as  driven  to  betray 
his  country  by  outra<^cous  calumnies  against  his  wife, 
invented  hv  some  youths  of  the  aristocracy.  Others, 
like  Byron,  believe  that  he  wished  to  free  his  country 
from  the  petty  tyranny  and  real  oppression  it  suffered 
under  the  complicated  system  of  councils: 


Tn  his  dramatic  upholding  of  what  he  hehc\ed  the 
truth.  1)\  ron  was  so  far  carried  awav  as  to  cause  the 
Doge  to  be  decapitated  in  '  -J  5  5  on  the  steps  of  the 
'(iiants'  Staircase,'  \\hich  was  not  constructed  until 
14^'v  between  rlu-  two  colossal  ^tatues  set  up  there  bv 
facopo  Sansovmo  in  i^,S4-  \  careful  examination  of 
historical  documents  would  seem  to  destroy  almost 
altogether  the  common  \crsion  of  the  tragedy. 


xi     CONSPIRACY  OF   MARINO  FAFIFRO    311 

Marino  Faliero  was  horn  between  12X0  and  1285, 
the  son  ot  Marco  Fallen)  and  Bcnola  Loredan.  He 
belonged  to  the  Fallen  ot  the  Santi 

l.ttsziirun, 

Apostoli,  so  called    from    the    nanie  ot    th.e      -i/.// 

. .         .         .  -    .    ,        ,  ,.         ,  ...  .    ,       in  .  Irch.    Vencto. 

district  in  which  the\'  lived,  to  distinguish 

them  trom  the  1' alien  who  lived  in  other  parts  ot 
the  citv,  some  ot  whom  did  not  belong  to  the  same 
taniih',  and  were  not  even  nobles.  He  was  called 
Marino  Junior,  in  order  not  to  contuse  him  with  an 
uncle  ot  the  same  name,  who  was  known  as  Marino 
Senior. 

Very  little  is  recorded  concerning  his  youth,  but 
La/./.arini  rinds  that  his  education  was  not  very  different 
trom  that  ot  his  peers,  and  was  probably  conducted  hv 
the  sort  of  tutor  then  called  a  Master  ot  Grammar; 
and  that  the  voung  man  must  have  become  familiar 
trom  his  earliest  vears  with  navigation,  commerce,  and 
the  public  affairs  ot  the  Republic. 

At  twentv  years  ot  age,  bv  the-  privilege  ot  the  Bar- 
barella,  he  was  present  at  the  assemblies  ot  the  (ireat 
Council;  and  when  little  more  than  thirrv  we  find  him 
one  ot  the  heads  ot  the  1  en,  and  he  constantly  appeal's 
in  that  capacitv,  and  bv  alternation  in  the  office  ot 
'Inquisitor.'  \\hen  exercising  the  functions  ot  tin- 
latter,  which  mav  seem  strange  for  one  who  in  later 
time  was  to  betray  his  countrv,  he  was  ebarged,  with 
another  of  the  I  en,  Andrea  Michiel,  to  bnn^  about, 
'  rapidly  and  diligently, 'the  rum  and  death  of  Bajamonte 
I  icpolo  and  Pietro  Ouirini,  who  had  alreadv  been  in 
exile  ten  years;  and  he  was  authorised  to  spend  ten 


thousand  lire  of  tin-  '  piccoh,'  or  about  ,(.  I  OQO  sterling, 
in  order  to  kill  the  first,  and  t\\o  thousand  for  killing 
the  second. 

Marino  1'ahcro  was  a  man  of  uncommon  intelligence 
ami  resistless  energy,  as  mav  be  si-en  from  the  fact  that 
the  Republic,  \\lnch  certainly  had  a  considerable  choice 
ot  such  men,  constantly  made  use  of  him,  sometimes 
iH\iii!j.  him  important  posts  at  home,  and  sometimes  as 
ambassador  to  the  I'ope  or  to  foreign  sovereigns:  some- 
times, a^aiii,  as  military  iM>\ernor  or  podesta  of  cities 
under  the  \  enetian  dominion,  once  at  least  commission- 
ing him  as  commandei -m-chiet  of  the  fleet.  Ik-  was 
the  first  podesta  of  I  reviso  after  that  cm  became  suh- 
]ect  to  \emce  in  I  -J -jo.  A  podesta  was  a  sort  of  foreign 
!_n>\crnor,  whom  the  milepeiulent  commonwealths 
chose  tor  themselves  in  order  to  assure  the  peaceable 
execution  of  their  o\\  n  laws  without  part\  prejudice; 
bur  coiKjui-red  towns  were  re<|inred  In  their  conmierors 
to  submit  to  tins  officer.  Me  was  generally  named  for 
two  years;  he  was  not  allowed  to  bring  his  wife  or 
children  \\ith  him;  he  could  not  absent  himself  tor  one 
da\  without  s  u-cial  permission  from  the  Senate:  he  \\as 
ne\er  to  form  an\  close  friendship  amon^  the  citi/ens, 
ie-t  his  impartial  authont\  should  be  compromistd  b\" 
his  surroundings.  I  here  \\as  a  podi-sta  ;n  almost  i  u-r\ 
cit\  of  central  and  northern  hah.  and  \emce  imposed 
one  on  each  cit\  she  coinjiiered.  l>iit  In  had  no  po\\er 
to  change  the  statutes  of  tin-  cit\  in  his  charge;  his 
iitlict  \\as  to  see  that  those  statutes  uere  appro\ed  bv 
the  .\b'-t  Serene  Republic  and  were  propcrh  enforced. 


xi     CONSPIRACY  OF   MARINO   FALIKRO    ^13 

\\  hen  it  seemed  likely  that  an  understanding  might  he 
brought  about  between  the  Venetians  and  the  Genoese, 


\    ,fflY  ,     >•      NIT-  I'J-.IH  i -.U»l  ?.-•'« 

\\  .V£"  '    *•  A)  f-       •.v;-;',--^- . 

^ . Y.  ; •  •!:•*::•!£. ^±^~~r^^d 


Vf&i&'f.     $"J\&    \\\ 
gjr  5£,  :A     •:  \^:^  '  • A ; 


..i&  *\  i 

^  Wl  PJfllli 


J?  '^;2'!>v.' 

V----V 


the-    former    sent     Marino      I"  alien),     beitiLi;   \\'c-II    a\\are 
that    the    result    of    the    mission   would    depend    largely 


upon  tin-  character  ;incl  gifts  of  rhe  ambassador;  bur, 
owing  to  quarrels  which  broke-  our  in  the  Kast  between 
merchants  of  the  n\al  Republics,  the  cmhassv  was 
abandoned  in  i^S°-  ;1IU^  I'ahero  turned  back  In-fore 
reaching  the  end  of  his  journev.  At  the  SK-<H-  of  Xara 
lie  distinguished  himself  so  much  that  a  conrcmporarv 
chronicler  attached  to  his  name  the  epithet  Auda.x,  the 
l>ra\e;  and  \\hen  in  1^52  the  fleet  commanded  b\" 
Niccolo  I'isani  left  \emce  to  sail  against  the  (icnoese, 
Marino  1'ahero  was  designated  beforehand  to  succeed 
the  admiral  in  case-  the  latter  should  fall  ill.  lie  was 
ui  no  less  esteem  abroad  than  in  the  Republic  itself. 

1  he  Carrara,  who  were  lords  of  Padua,  cho.se  him  twice, 
in  I  ^  .;S  and  1  -j^o,  as  podesta  of  tlu-ir  cir\  . 

\  chronicler  of  I  re\iso  in  the  fifteenth  ceiiturv 
accuses  I'ahero  of  having  been  exceeding  \'  overbearing 
anil  \ioleiir,  and  most  historians  ha\e  followed  this 
\\riter.  I  he  latter  narrates  that  when  I'ahero  was 
podesta  of  I  re\  iso  in  I  ^4M,  it  \\as  his  dutv  on  one 
occasion  to  assist  at  a  procession  of  the  '  (  orpus  Domini.' 

1  lie  Hishop  came  to  tin-  cei'emom  ,  carr\ 'ini;  tin-  sacra- 
ment and  accompanied  In  the  cler^\',  but  kept  the  pro- 
cession  \\aituiLi  so  long  that  I'ahero,  losing  his  temper, 
Ha\c  the  astonished  prelate  a  P-sotmdmg  box  on  the 
(  a i .  \\  Inch  was  heard  to  the  end  of  r lie  church.  No  con- 
M  mporan  doeument>i  can  be  loutul  \«  pro\e  or  dis- 
pro\c  this  tale,  \\hich  ma\  be  historical  or  leiu-ndarv; 

et  tin  chromcli-rs  of  the  fourteenth  o  nrurv  constantb1 
reiioi'teil  such  anecdotes,  although  rhe  Venetians  \\i-re 


xi      CONSPIRACY  OF  MARINO  FALIKRO     315 

of  churches  and  convents.  I  here  is  much  evidence  to 
prove  that  1'ahero  ruled  his  own  family  with  despotic 
authority,  as  mav  he  seen  from  manv  documents.  He 
made  marriages  and  distributed  inheritances  as  he 
pleased,  though  it  does  not  necessarily  follow  that  he 
did  so  in  an  unlawful  manner.  On  the  contrary,  in 
spite  of  his  overbearing  character,  he  seems  to  have 
enjoyed  the  esteem  and  affection  of  all  the  members  of 
his  house. 

Petrarch,  who,  if  not  his  friend,  was  at  least  an  inti- 
mate acquaintance  of  his,  wrote  not  long  after  his  death 
that  he  had  enjoyed  during  manv  vears  the  reputation  of 
a  wise  man,  and  Matteo  \  illani  savs  that  he  was  a  man 
of  high  character,  wise  and  magnanimous.  1  he  (iius- 
timani  chronicle,  which  judged  his  conspiracy  verv 
harshlv,  admits  that  as  a  man  he  was  generous,  wise, 
and  brave.  1  he  chronicler  Caresim  regrets  that  a  man 
so  virtuous  by  nature  should  have  so  far  departed  from 
virtue. 

From  evidence  recently  discovered,  it  appears  that 
Marino  Fahero  had  two  wives,  and  some-  have  even  said 
that  he  had  three.  Of  the  two  whose  names  we  know, 
the  first  was  I  ommasma  Contanni,  and  the  other,  who 
was  afterwards  the  Dogess,  was  Ludovica  Gradenigo. 
He  had  a  daughter,  Lucia,  by  the  first  wife,  and  no 
children  bv  the  second.  Some  of  the  later  chroniclers, 
who  mav  be  said  to  have  constructed  the  fable  of 
Marino  Faliero,  sav  that  the  Dogess  belonged  to  the 
house  of  Contanni,  and  it  is  nor  hard  to  understand 
how  a  superficial  examination  of  the  papers  of  that 


u  should  cither  ha\e  contused  tin-  iirst  wife  with 
tin-  second,  or  ha\c  contused  tin-  l)oo;e  Marino  with 
Marino  (  )i'ilrl;it<>,  who  \\;is  his  nephew,  and  dc-ar  to  him 
as  his  o\\ u  son.  1  his  contusion  resulted  in  mistaking 
Cristma  Contarim,  who  at  the  time-  ot  the  conspiracy 
must  ha\e  ln-en  voumj;  ami  beautiful,  \\ith  the  |)O<H-SS, 
u  ho  was  tln-n  undoubtedly  m-arlv  forty-five  years  ot  a<u-. 

Andrea    Dandolo    tiled    on    the    niidit   ot    the    seventh 


were  taken  to  be^in  the  election  ot  his  successor,  and  to 
introduce  as  usual  a  number  ot  corrections  and  improve- 
ments m  the  ducal  oath  ot  allegiance.  I  In-  five  correctors 
elected  tor  the  latter  purpose,  in  a  nn-enne.  ot  the  (  Ireat 
Council  t roin  which  all  membei s  under  tin-  a<_H-  ot  thirty 
were  excluded,  presented  on  the  next  day  the  list  of 
their  proposed  amendments.  I  hese  were  numerous, 
and  were  all  intended  to  restrict  tin-  authority  ot  tin- 
Do^e.  \\lnch  was  already  suflicicntlv  reduced.  1  he  vet 
unchosen  successor  ot  Dandolo  was  to  be  forbidden  to 
receive  an  ambassador,  or  any  toiviLMi  emissary,  or  to 
LM\C  am  ansuer  to  such  an  one.  except  in  the  presence 
and  \\ith  i  he  appro\a  ot  his  counsellors  and  tin-  heads 
1  >!  tin  |- < 1 1 1  \  .  (  >n  the  same  da\  ,  tin-  ninth  ot  September, 
at  tin  ninth  hour,  the  '  \n-n^o  was  summoned,  winch 
the  '_;<  n  ral  assetnb  \  ot  the  people,  and  which  still 
thi  lower  classes  tin  illusion  o)  participating  in  the 
a  flan's  o)  State.  I  his  assemb  y  was  no\\  called  upon 
f  ratih  the  proposed  changes  in  tin  ducal  o.nh  ol 

I    ' .  -  i ;     u  tore  tin    commencement  ot    the  election   t  here 


xi     CONSPIRACY   OF    MARINO   FALIKRO    317 

was  talk  of  Marino  Faliero  for  the  office;  and  he  was 
at  that  time  Venetian  ambassador  to  Pope  Innocent  \  I. 
in  Avignon,  being  there  to  treat  tor  peace  with  Genoa 
and  the  Yisconti,  lords  of  Milan.  On  the  eleventh  of 
September  his  name  was  pronounced  before  another 
assembly  of  the  people,  and  contemporary  historians  say 
that  his  election  was  extremely  well  received  bv  all 
classes  of  Venetians.  I  ntil  the  Doge-elect  should  reach 
the  capital,  it  was  decreed  that  the  government  should 
remain  in  the  hands  of  the  ducal  counsellors  and  the 
heads  ot  the  1'ortv;  two  counsellors  and  one  of  the 
heads  of  the  Forty  remaining  by  turn  constantly  in 
the  ducal  palace.  Faliero  had  left  Avignon  before  he 
received  notice  ot  his  election,  so  that  he  was  in  the 
neighbourhood  sooner  than  was  expected.  On  the 
twenty-eighth  ot  September  twelve  ambassadors,  chosen 
tor  each  ot  the  offices  ot  the  city,  went  out  to  meet  him. 
Fach  one  ot  these  was  accompanied  bv  a  noble  and 
three  young  gentlemen,  who  altogether  received  daily 
a  salary  ot  forty  ducats  ot  <j;old.  1  he  actual  value  in 
gold  of  a  \  enetian  ducat  is  now  usually  estimated  at 
about  fifteen  shillings  Fuglish  money,  rather  less  than 
the  equivalent  of  the  French  twentv-tranc  piece.  'I  he 
purchasing  power  of  the-  coin  was,  however,  \erv  much 
larger  than  at  the  present  day. 

1  he  delegates  met  the  Doge  at  \  erona,  and  accom- 
panied him  thence  to  Padua, where  the  Carrara  rcceixed 
them  all  with  threat  honour.  Taddco  (  iius- 

•     •        .  r       i  v  -M    •  •          A'i'w.  //'/.  /  v"/. 

rimani,    son    of    the    podesta    of    Lmoggia, 

m-.-t  the  whole  company  there  with   fifteen  of  the  small 


^iS          (;LKA\L\r,S    I  ROM    HISTORY  \i 

baizes  called  '  gan/aruoli,'  splendidly  decorated,  in 
which  tin-  Do^e  embarked  with  all  his  companv.  ( )n 
rlu-  titrli  ot  October,  at  a  small  distance  from  Venice 
itself.  In-  \vas  met  In  the  tamous  Bucentaur,  which 
hole  the  ducal  counsellors  and  a  <j,rcat  number  ot 
nobles.  A  remarkable  circumstance  which  accom- 
panied tins  ]ounu-\  is  narrated  bv  Loren/o  dci  Mo- 
naci,  \\hom  La/./anm  calls  a  <ira\e  and  contemporary 
historian.  I  lie  Do»e,  on  reaching  \enice,  landed  at 
tin-  pier  ot  Saint  Mark  s,  instead  <>t  ^oin<^  to  the-  other 
side,  to  tin-  l\i\a  della  Pallia,  according  to  former 
custom  ;  and  in  order  to  reach  tin-  ducal  palace  he  passed 


between  the  two  columns  where  malefactors  were  often 
executed.  At  the  time  no  one  paid  any  attention  to 
this,  but  after  his  tragic  death  tin-  incident  \\as  reputed 
to  ha\e  been  a  presage  ot  the  e\  i!  future;  so  that 
Petrarch,  \\ntinu  from  Milan  on  the  r\\  ent\ -fourth  of 
\pril  i-5Sv  :i  ^c'u  days  after  the  Done  had  been 
decapitated,  alludes  to  the  tact  in  these  words:  'Sims- 
tro  pede  palatium  in^ressus,'  /./'.  'lla\mn  entered 
the  palace  \\ith  ill-omened  step.' 

In  tn-  church  of  Saint  Mark's  hi-  was  presented  to 
the  people,  and  receixed  the  usual  threefold  laudation 
and  salutation.  It  is  worth  noticing  that  I' a  icio  \\as 
the  last  do^e  \\ho  \\  as  saluted  b\  tin-  pompous  title 
of  'Lord  ot  a  (jiiarter  and  an  eighth  of  tin-  Roman 
Kmpirc.  Mien,  accord  HILL  to  Hie  regular  ceremonial, 
lit  \\a-  tarried  round  the  Mjuare  amid  the  acclamations 
ot  tin  multitude,  to  \\hom  he  thivu  mone\  ,  and  at  last 
In  \\as  cro\\tied  iijion  the  landmn  of  the  staircase  that 


xi    CONSPIRACY   OF   AIARlNO   FALIERO 

descended  into  the  courtyard  of  the  palace.  1  his  stair- 
case was  of  stone,  and  led  down  from  the  hall  of  the 
Great  Council  to  the  storv  where  was  the  covered 
loggia,  and  thence  continued  downwards  in  the  open 
air,  entering  the  courtyard,  and  following  the  same 
direction  as  the  modern  'Giants'  Staircase,'  hut  at 
the  opposite  extremity.  It  was  demolished  in  the 
fifteenth  century.  I  pon  the  same  landing  of  the  stair- 
case the  Doge  took  the  oath  of  allegiance,  with  the 
amendments  of  which  we  have  already  spoken,  and  we 
mav  well  believe  that  the  new  restrictions  contained  in 
the  'Ducal  Promise'  were  unwelcome  to  his  despotic 
nature. 

During  the  reign  of  Marino  Faliero,  \  enice  con- 
tinued the  struggle  with  Genoa,  and  remained  on  the 
side  of  the  Lombard  League  against  the  \  isconti. 
The  defeat  of  the  Venetian  fleet  at  Porto  Longo, 
November  4,  I  ^54,  almost  caused  a  panic  in  \  enice, 
\\here  it  was  expected  that  at  am  moment  the  Genoese 
would  appear  again  before  the  Lido.  1  he  Doge  and 
the  government,  however,  met  the  danger  with  energetic 
measures,  obtained  help  from  the  neighbouring  princi- 
palities, and  vigilantly  watched  the  more  exposed  out- 
lvm<i  districts,  such  as  Cape  d'lstna  and  Xara;  but 
the  agitation  in  \  enice  was  not  whollv  allaved,  and  the 
need  of  peace  was  felt  more-  than  ever.  Charles  1\  ., 
king  of  Bohemia  and  kino;  of  the  Romans,  who  had 
recentlv  descended  into  Italv  in  order  to  assume  the 
imperial  title-,  found  it  no  easv  matter  to  make  terms 
between  the  parties.  1'  rom  Avignon  also  Pope  Innocent 


320          (il.FAMNOS    FROM    HISTORY  \i 

\  I.   was  using  e\erv  means  to  pacitv  the  clivers   Italian 
states;     hut    neither   the    Kmperor    nor   the    Pope    were 

I       '*~J  ,  \  •     .    ••     ,  V  .-\  *      .„,' 


•-v-ii  ilj^.Sii^iiRiiir'i!!? 

I'S^R^SfJ 


^ISS'i^iff'EB  PSS 

US1  '%M 


xi    CONSPIRACY  OF  MARINO  FALIERO    321 

the  most  important  of  those  which  darken  the  history 
of  the  fourteenth  century. 

Almost  ever\r  one  is  acquainted  with  the  legend  of 
this  conspiracy,  and  may  compare  it  with  the  truth  so 
tar  as  a  recent  examination  of  the  facts  has  made  it 
known. 

A  grudge  of  long  standing  existed  at  that  time 
between  the  houses  of  Faliero  and  Steno.  In  the 
summer  of  I  34^  a  certain  Paolo  Steno  approached  the 
house  of  Piero  Faliero  at  San  Maun/io  late  in  the 
evening,  and  calling  out  a  German  serving-woman, 

O  £"*"  O  7 

called  Elizabeth  or  Beta,  with  whom  he  seems  to  have 
been  acquainted,  he  persuaded  her  with  specious  argu- 
ments, or  with  the  promise  of  reward,  to  let  him  enter 
the  room  of  Saray,  who  some  say  was  the  beautiful 
daughter  of  the  master  of  the  house,  but  who 
Romanin  says  was  a  slave,  as  her  name  would  seem  to 
indicate.  A  recent  authority,  La//,arini,  says  that 
Romanin  was  mistaken;  but  however  this  may  have 
been,  Saray,  who  was  taken  by  surprise,  defended  her- 
self desperately,  but  could  not  escape  the  embraces 
of  Paolo  Steno.  A  regular  action  was  brought  against 
the  latter,  and  a  number  of  documents  in  the-  criminal 
archives  of  the  l*orry,  dated  in  August  and  September 
1^4.5,  prove  that  the  culprit  was  condemned  to  be 
imprisoned  a  year  in  the  lower  dungeons  called  po/./i, 
and  to  pav  a  fine  of  three  hundred  lire.  1  he  German 
serving-woman,  who  had  escaped  bevoml  the  frontier, 
was  condemned  in  default  to  have  her  nose  and  her  lips 
cut  off,  and  was  perpetually  banished;  an  accomplice, 
VOL.  i.  —  v 


322        (;i.i:\M.\(;s  FROM  HISTORY         M 

a  si-nant  in  the  house  of  Faliero,  was  imprisoned  six 
months  in  tin-  lower  dungeons,  and  then  banished. 
1  hrcc  vears  later  the  mother  of  Saray,  on  her  death, 
naiiK-d  'Sarav  Steno'  among  her  children  in  her  will, 
and  ir  would  appear  from  this  that  Steno  had  satisfied 
lusticc  and  repaired  his  fault  bv  marrving  the  girl;  but 
in  this  case  it  is  certain  that  lie  did  not  long  surxiw  tin- 
date  of  tin'  deed,  for  before  the  conditions  of  the  \\ill 
could  be  fulfilled  we  find  that  Saray  was  already  the 
\\ite  of  a  certain  Niccoletto  Callenceno  of  Oder/o.  It 
is  impossible  to  sav  how  far  this  incident  was  the  cause 
of  the  hatred  between  the  families  of  Faliero  and 
Steno,  but  we  mav  be-  sure-  that  when  Michel  Steno 
insulted  the  Doge  eleven  vears  later  he  \\as  already 
influenced  bv  the  existence  of  the  family  grudge. 

(  )n  the  tenth  of  November  I  ^54  a  request  came  before' 
the  Council  of  I'ortv  to  proceed  ai;ainst  the  authors  of 
certain  words  written  in  the  Hall  of  the  Hearth  in  tin- 
ducal  palace  against  the  Doge's  nephew.  i  here  is 
no  mention  of  the  Do<^ess.  Amongst  those-  cited  to 
appear  before  the  tribunal  within  eight  davs  we  find 
tin-  name  of  a  Steno  called  Micheletto,  the  diminutive 
of  Michel,  and  son  of  the  late  (iio\anm,  coupled  \\ith 
thai  'it  I'M  r<>  [Jollam,  as  the  principal  authors  of  the 
insultitiLj  lines,  and  a  certain  Rr/./ardo  Marioni  is 
accused  nt  ha\mg  scraxvled  obscene  svmbols  beside 
\\hat  his  companions  had  \\ritten.  Besides  these,  certain 
other  noble  vouths  were  cited  to  appear,  bur  \\ere 
aci)iiitted  for  lack  of  proof  thai  rhe\  had  taken  pair  in 
the  deed.  It  must  be  taken  for  granted  that  Romamn 


.xi     CONSPIRACY  OF  MARINO  FALIERO     323 

was  not  acquainted  with  the  document  cited  by 
Lazzarini,  since  he  says  that  no  proofs  exist  that  Steno 
was  either  accused  or  punished. 

Micheletto  Steno  was  condemned  to  he  imprisoned 
during  a  tew  days  in  the  lower  dungeon;  Piero  Bollam 
and  Rizzardo  Marioni  got  off  with  less  than  a  week's 
confinement. 

Tradition,  as  corroborated  by  the  Doge's  own  words 
afterwards,  |ustifies  us  in  believing  that  Faliero  com- 
plained of  the  lenity  shown  to  the  culprits;  but  though 
he  might  have  been  displeased,  it  would  have  been 
impossible  that  he  should  be  astonished.  Since  the 
insult  was  directed  against  the  Doge  or  his  nephew  as 
private  individuals,  and  not  against  the  head  of  the 
Republic,  a  discriminating  tribunal  of  Venice  could 
onlv  treat  the  affair  as  if  it  had  happened  between 
any  other  members  ot  the  nobility.  \  emce  never 
incarnated  any  'divine  right'  in  the  person  of  her 
Doge,  and  Faliero  must  have  known  that  though  a 
single  word  ot  slight  against  the  honour  ot  the  'Lord 
Duke'  might  cost  him  who  uttered  it  both  his  eves 
and  his  tongue,  as  happened  in  the  same  year  to  a 
certain  Niccolo  Cestello  and  to  another  Micheletto  ot 
Murano,  even  a  grave  insult  against  the  person  ot  the 
Doge  was  never  legally  punished  bv  more1  than  two 
months'  imprisonment,  and  generally  by  a  shorter  term 
and  a  small  fine.  '1  he  legend  built  up  upon  the-  later 
accounts  says  that  Micheletto  Steno  was  the  head  of 
the  Forty,  i.e.  President  ot  the  Senate-,  when  he  wrote 
the  insult  ot  which  he  was  convicted;  but  we  have 


-4        (Ji.KANiNViS  FROM  HISTORY          M 

clear  proof"  rhar  ar  the  time-  In-  was  hardlv  more  than 
tweiitv  \ears  ot  a<;c,  so  rhar  he  had  nor  even  rluj  right 
ro  \ore  ar  rhe  meerinos  ot  the  (Ireat  Council;  ami  no 
oiu-  omKl  belong  ro  rhe  Senate  who  was  under  thirtv, 
much  less  be  rln-  head  ot  rhar  formidable  bodv.  So 
tar  as  rlu-  Dooc-ss  is  concerned,  chroniclers  and  novelists 
ha\e  described  her  as  taking  part  in  a  dance  ar  rhe  time, 
\\hrn-as  she  \\as  a  \\onian  alivadv  ot  middle  age-,  and 
lu-r  name  is  iu-\er  mentioned  in  an\-  ot  rhe  numerous 
documents  regarding  the  famous  trial.  1  here  is  one 
more-  argument  against  the-  table-  rhar  rhe  insult  \\'as 
tbrected  a^auisr  her.  1  he-  Venetian  tribunals  were 
extremeK  se\ere  in  all  c-asi-s  where  rhe  honour  ot  a 
\\oman  \\as  touched.  1  he  mere  tact  ot  laving  a  hand 
on  rhe  shoulder  ot  a  \\oman  nor  rhi-  man's  o\\  n  wife  or 
relative  mi^ht  be  punished  \\irh  a  \er\  heavv  tine  ami 
man\'  months  ot  imprisonment,  and  a  libellous  \\ntm;j, 
against  a  noble  lad\'  \\as  punished  \\ith  r\\o  moiirhs 
in  the  po//i  and  a  tine  ot  one  hundred  ducats.  It 
would  stem  to  follow  rhar  it  Steno's  oftence  had  been 
committed  against  rhe  hrst  matron  in  \  enu-e,  rhe 
rnhima  \\oidd  not  ha\c-  treati-d  rhe  mattc-r  \\irh  rhar 
iiulul^ence  ot  which  the  1  )o^e  conijilamed  on  bis  o\\n 
accnunt.  Moreover,  it  should  be  noti-d  that  Marino 
I'  a  hero  was  t  U-cted  on  the  eleventh  ot  September  1^54, 
and  that  the  date  ot  the  trial  was  the  tenth  of  November 
of  t  u  same  vear;  but  rhe  le<u-ndar\  accoimr  sax's  ir  was 
on  the  1  hursda\  before  Lent,  which  cannot  come 
earlier  than  I'ebruan  and  ma\  be  as  Lite  as  March,  that 
the  mMilrui"  \\ords  \\iic  \\iittin.  I  he  scandal  must 


.xi     CONSPIRACY  OF  MARINO  FALIKRO     325 

have  taken  place  very  earlv  in  November,  and  probably 
happened  during;  the  festival  held  in  the  ducal  palace 
on  the  occasion  ot  the  marriage  of  Santino  Faliero  and 
Regina  Dandolo,  a  nephew  and  niece  of  the  Doge,  a 
marriage,  consequently,  tor  which  the  papal  dispensa- 
tion would  have  been  necessary.  1  his  hypothesis 
would  in  some  measure  explain  the  tact  that  the 
writing  was  directed  against  the  Doge  and  one  of  his 
nephews. 

Whatever  the  true  facts  were  in  the  Steno-Faliero 
trials,  it  is  certain  that  the  Doge  entertained  feelings  of 
the  strongest  resentment  against  the  aristocracy,  against 
the  judges,  and,  on  the  whole,  against  all  the  decrees 
ot  the  government.  I  here  is  no  doubt  but  that  the 
voung  nobles  ot  that  day  deserved  the  indignation  the}" 
excited  in  the  minds  ot  sensible  people,  tor  during 
several  vears  past  their  insolence  had  become  boundless, 
and  they  went  to  all  lengths  of  violence,  and  worse, 
sometimes  even  making  use  ot  false  keys  to  <iet  into 

o  /  o 

houses  that  were  closed  against  them,  and  sparing 
neither  matron  nor  maid.  1  he  lower  classes  especially 
suffered  by  their  outrageous  conduct  in  word  and  deed, 
and  when  the  Doge  conceived  the  idea  ot  breaking 
down  the  power  of  the  aristocrats,  he  fully  believed 
he  might  count  upon  the  sympathy  and  help  of  the 
people. 

Now  when  the  war  with  the  ( u-noese  was  still 
raging,  a  certain  Bertuccio  Isarello,  a  sea-captain,  ami 
Giovanni  Dandolo,  a  patrician,  who  was  one  of  the 
superintendents  charged  with  getting  war-vessels  reach' 


(il.I.\MN(;S    FROM    HISTORY  xi 

(Or  sen,  got  into  a  \  lolenf  discussion.  \  o  he  a  sea- 
captain  in  those  davs  n»r  onl\'  indicated  great  energy 
and  personal  courage,  hut  also  implied  a  certain  amount 
ot  consideration.  Isarello  had  reached  his  present 
position  after  a  life  of  many  labours  and  adventures, 
lie  had  heen  a  merchant  in  the  Rialto  for  a  vear;  he 
had  then  Ken  the  navigating  officer  of  a  vessel  trading 
to  the  hast,  belonging;  to  a  certain  Jacopello  l.ombardo, 
and  after  that  he  had  been  promoted  to  be  captain,  or 
'  patrono,'  of  a  galley,  the-  propertv  of  Mann  Michiel, 
uith  a  salarv  of  rive  lire  of  grossi  monthly  (about 
twenty-five  shillings),  and  permission  to  take-  with  him 
on  Ins  vovaovs  three-  families  as  passengers.  Like  most 
other  sea-captains  of  whom  \vc  have  anv  account  in  the 
archives,  Isarello  owned  several  houses  in  \  emce,  and 
possessed  considerable  prestige  among  the  seafaring 
class.  1  he  account  of  the1  incident  here  gi\en  is  taken 
from  tin-  contemporary  chronicle  of  de'  Monaci.  It 
happened  that  in  the  course-  of  manning  a  number  of 
ships  of  war  Dandolo  had  business  \\ith  this  Captain 
Isarello,  and,  finding  him  unexpectedly  obstinate  upon 
some  point  ot  which  we  have  no  account,  proceeded  to 
enforce  his  arguments  with  a  box  on  the  ear.  I  he 
offended  captain  left  the  office  \\here  this  took  place, 
and  told  Ins  friends  what  had  happened.  i  hey 
promised  at  once  to  support  him  if  he  wished  to  be 
a\en<u-d.  \ccompamed  hv  them,  Isarello  thereupon 
went  at  once  to  the  square  before  the  duca!  palace,  and 
walked  up  and  down  nursmo;  his  wrath  until  Dandolo 
iself  should  pass.  1  he  Doge  and  his  counsellors, 


xi     CONSPIRACY  OF  AIARIXO  FALIKRO     327 

heino;  apprised  of  the  matter,  sent  for  the  captain  and 
had  from  his  own  lips  an  account  of  the  injury  he  had 


;       ts 

11 

-.*  *&*-• 


S5*"f%S^VHfj| 


suffered  ;  hut  while  they  promised  him  every  satisfaction 
which  the  law  would  allow,  they  severely  reproved  him 


>A          (iLKANINGS    FROM    HISTORY  xi 

tor    ha\m<^    dared    to    think    oi     taking    vengeance    in 

person. 

Jin-  Doof.  however,  on  hearing  Isarello's  store, 
recognised  in  him  ;m  instrument  that  miidu  he  list-till 
against  the  aristocrac\  ;  and  sending  tor  him  privately 
on  the  following  ni^ht,  received  him  in  his  own  apart- 
ment, and  laid  he-tore  him  the  plan  which  he-  had  been 
maturing  tor  some  time. 

1  he  most  reliable  accounts  sav  that  \\ithm  a  few 
hours  Isarello  gathered  twentv  conspirators,  each  of 
\\hom  promised  to  furnish  tortv  arnu-d  men;  but  of 
these  twentv  heads,  onlv  Isarello  himself,  hilippo  C'al- 
endario,  his  father-in-law,  erroneously  stated  to  have 
been  the  architect  who  restored  the  ducal  palace,  but 
who  was  in  realm  onb  a  master  stone-cutter  in  the 
\\ork,  and  t\\o  or  three  other  trustv  friends,  \\ere  a\s  arc- 
that  the  Dom-  himsc-lt  was  the  prime  mover  in  the 
conspirac\',  the  others  supposing  that  the  onb'  object  of 
the  mo\  eim-nt  was  to  punish  the  nobles  tor  their  over- 
hearing conduct,  and  to  force  the  oo\c-rnmc-nt  to  the 
better  administration  of  justice.  During  a  fe\\  da\s 
the  principal  conspirators  came  b\  m<dit  to  the  ducal 

palace,  m  order  to  prepare  their  plan  of  action.      Mcan- 
i      i 

\\hile,  in  order  to  increase  the  unpopuJaritv  of  the 
aristocracy,  they  practised  a  singular  dc-ceit.  I  wo  01 
thrc-c-  ol  them  wandered  about  the  city  in  the  e\t-mn^, 
appaivntb  disLiuisc-d  as  nobles,  insulting  the-  pK-beians 
u  horn  the\  met,  and  sm^uiLi  I"N(I  son^s  under  the 
\\  indo\\ s  of  honest  artisans  wives ;  then  separating,  they 
loU(ll\  bade  eacii  other  "ood-imdit.  callui"  each  other 


xi    CONSPIRACY  OF  MARINO  FALIKRO    329 

by  the  names  of  the  most  illustrious  Venetian  houses, 
so  that  the  offended  persons  supposed  they  had  been 
annoyed  by  the  fashionable  young  good-for-nothings  of 
the  highest  nobility.  Meanwhile  the  conspirators  dis- 
cussed various  means  for  getting  possession  of  the  city, 
and  it  was  finally  agreed  that  the}'  should  all  meet,  fullv 
armed,  on  the  night  of  the  fifteenth  of  April  1355  in 
the  Square  of  Saint  Mark,  before  the  ducal  palace,  when 
the  Doge  would  cause  the  great  bell  to  ring  the  alarm, 
and  news  would  be  bruited  abroad  among  the  people 
that  the  Genoese  were  at  the  mouth  of  the  harbour 
with  fifty  galleys.  Thereupon  it  was  expected  that  the 
nobles  would  flock  to  the  palace,  as  they  alwavs  did  in 
cases  of  danger,  to  meet  in  council,  and  the  conspirators 
would  be  able  to  kill  them  without  difficulty  as  thev 
arrived.  .After  the  massacre,  they  intended  to  proclaim 
the  absolute  sovereignty  of  the  Doge,  who  bound 
himself  to  confer  all  the  important  offices  of  the  State 
upon  men  belonging  to  the  working-classes.  I  he  plan 
failed,  apparently  for  two  reasons. 

In  the  first  place,  it  appears  that  among  those  whom 
the  Doge  invited  to  take  part  in  the  conspiracy  was 
a  certain  Niccolo  Zucuol,  a  close  friend  of  the  house 
of  Faliero,  a  rich  citr/en  of  burgher  origin,  who  was 
allied  by  marriage  with  the  most  noble  families  in 
\  emce.  I  he  Doge,  knowing  that  he  could  trust  this 
man,  revealed  to  him  the  whole  plan,  but  /ucuol  was 
opposed  to  it,  and  bv  prayers  and  arguments  caused 
Marino  Faliero  to  waver  in  his  intention.  Some 
chroniclers  sav  that  this  honest  Niccolo  /ucuol  obtained 


MO          GLKANINGS    FROM   HISTORY  xi 

authority  from  the  Doge  to  dissolve  the  conspiracy, 
and  to  induce  the  conspirators,  it  he  could,  to  give  up 
all  idea  of  vengeance;  others  sav  that  his  arguments 
onlv  frightened  the  Doge-  tor  the  time,  without  rcallv 
shaking  his  resolution. 

Secondh,  we  find  that  a  certain  \endramm,  who 
was  in  the  tur  trade,  made-  revelations  to  a  sponsor  of 
his,  Niccolo  Lion,  a  noble-,  in  order  to  save  him  from 
the  general  massacre  of  the  nobles,  which  was  a  part  of 
the  conspiracy.  I  his  Lion,  who  was  a  senator,  heard 
the  story  late  at  m<_dit  in  his  own  house',  and  lost  no 
time  m  actinia  on  the  information.  He  dressed  m 
haste-,  and  with  no  companion  save  the-  fur-merchant, 
boldly  entered  the  Doge's  apartment,  told  him  that  he 
kneu  the  truth,  and  threatened  to  bring  him  to  account 
he-tore-  his  counsellors. 

Marino  bahero  did  not  lose-  his  self-possession  in 
this  siulde-n  turn  ot  aflairs,  bur  coolly  pretended  to  pitv 
the-  civduhtv  of  the-  old  senator.  He-  even  had  the 
audacity  to  sav  that  this  was  not  the-  first  he-  had  heard 
ot  \\hat  he-  called  an  e<M'e<Mous  calumny;  that  he-  himself 
had  made-  most  careful  inquiry  into  the-  conspirae'v,  and 
had  assured  himself  that  there  \\as  not  a  word  ot  truth 
in  the  storv.  Lion,  however,  placed  no  faith  in  the 
Do^e  s  stati  ments,  and  insisted  so  forcibly  that  the 
ducal  counsellors  should  be  called  m  that  the  Doge  was 
obliged  TO  yield. 

I  he  chronicler  Matteo  \illam  observes  that  it  was 
here  that  the  Doge  lost  his  he-ad,  because-  he  might 
easily  have  locked  up  Lion  and  \etidramm,  or  nn^ht 


KAMO    DliLLA    SCUOLA 


331 


^2  CLEANINGS    FROM    HISTORY  xi 

even  have  murdered  them,  and  rlius  gained  the  time 
necessary  tor  putting  his  plans  into  execution.  It  soon 
became  kno\\n  tliat  the  Privy  Council  had  heen 
summoned  at  that  unusual  hour,  and  this  alone  spread 
alarm  through  \  emce.  .A  number  of  nobles  accom- 
panied the  six  counsellors  to  the  palace,  and  groups  ot 
curious  ami  inquisitive  persons  gathered  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood ot  Saint  Mark's.  It  was  known  that  during 
the  last  tew  davs,  and  under  various  pretexts,  there  had 
been  frequent  gatherings  ot  seafaring  men,  and  many 
ot  the  nobles  had  noticed  the  threatening  attitude  ot 
the  working-men  they  passed  in  the  street,  and  had 
even  heard  menacing  speeches  indistinctly  spoken  when 
they  had  gone  hv,  though  thcv  had  paid  hrtle  attention 
to  such  matters  at  the-  time.  But  now,  while  the 
Privy  Council  was  sitting  within  the-  palace,  the  whole 
population  felt  a  sort  of  premonition  ot  a  terrible 
mvsterv.  and  ot  some  great  event  that  was  not  far  off. 
Meanwhile  two  gentlemen  of  the-  house  of  Contanni 
requested  to  be  immediately  admitted  to  the  presence 
ot  the  Council.  1  hev  said  that  a  friend  of  theirs  had 
been  asked  only  a  tew  hours  previously  hv  a  friend  ot 
I'lhppo  Calendario  to  take  part  in  a  conspiracy  which 
was  about  to  break  out.  I  he  person  they  referred  to 
was  immediately  called,  and  turned  out  to  be-  a  sea- 
faring man  named  Marco  \e<M~o,  who  was  able  to  give 
chapter  and  verse  tor  all  he  stared.  Mis  story  ;ir  once 
exhibited  the  conduct  of  the  Doge  in  the  strongest 
light.  I'ollowing  the  example  of  the  two  Contanni, 
mam  more  persons  presented  to  the  ducal  counsellors 


xi     CONSPIRACY  OF  MARINO  FALIERO     ^ 

verv  grave  accusations  against  the  Doge.  Without 
losing  time,  and  before  daybreak,  officers  were  sent 
out  to  arrest  all  persons  suspected  of  having  joined  in 
the  conspiracy.  Amongst  the  first  that  were  brought 
to  the  palace  was  Calendario  himself  and  one  of 
his  accomplices,  named  Zuan  da  Corso.  1  he  latter, 
having  been  put  to  the  torture,  confessed  everything, 
and  Calendario,  without  waiting  until  similar  pressure 
had  been  brought  upon  him,  disclosed  everything  he 
knew,  without  the  least  attempt  to  hide  the  responsi- 
bility of  the  Doge.  As  soon  as  the  Doge's  guilt  was 
clear,  the  Council  decided  to  proceed  with  its  delibera- 
tions without  regard  to  him,  and  immediately  called  m 
the  Council  of  1  en  in  order  to  divide  with  the  latter 
the  responsibilities  of  government  and  justice.  Niccolo 
Fahero,  who  was  a  near  relative  of  the  Doge's,  was  not 
allowed  to  take  part  in  the  deliberations,  that  bem<r  the 

I  O 

rule  in  such  cases. 

\\ord  was  immediately  sent  to  all  the  nobles  then  in 
Venice  to  arm  themselves,  and  to  bring  their  servants 
and  retainers  armed  to  the  squares  neartheir  habitations. 
During  the  whole  day  and  the  following  night  these 
armed  men  remained  constantly  on  the  watch,  reach' 
to  act  under  the  orders  of  the  Privy  Council  at  a 
moment's  notice.  Kightv  or  mnetv  nobles  and  trustv 
citr/ens  continually  rode  through  the  citv  from  post  to 
post  to  preserve  order  and  unity. 

After  the-  first  hours  of  agitation,  arrangements  were 
made  tor  a  regular  succession  of  watches  at  all  the 
principal  points.  Meanwhile  some  of  the  conspirators 


;^4  C.LKAMNGS    FROM    HISTORY  xi 

sought  safetv  in  flight,  while  some  were  arrested  in  their 
houses.  Isarello  was  taken  in  a  garden,  immediately 
after  the  first  revelations  of  the  conspiracy.  Some  of 
the  other  chiefs  were  chased  as  far  as  Chioggia,  and 
brought  back.  On  the  same  day  Fihppo  Calendano 
and  Isarello  were  hanged  between  the  red  columns 
of  the  loggia  of  the  old  palace,  from  which  the  Doge 
usuallv  assisted  at  the  Carnival  festivities.  Others 
suffered  the  same  sentence,  and  as  their  bodies  were  not 
taken  down  directly  after  they  were  dead,  there  was  soon 
a  row  of  eleven  corpses  hanging  from  the  balcony, 
beginning  with  those  of  the  chief  conspirators,  who  had 
been  hanged  with  gags  in  their  mouths,  lest  they  should 
cry  out  to  the  people.  I  he  minor  conspirators  were 
spared  this  indignity. 

1  he  Doge  during  this  time  was  under  guard  in  his 
own  apartments,  until  at  last  one  counsellor,  (iiovanm 
Mocemgo,  one  inquisitor,  Luca  da  Le/./e,  and  one 
avogador,  Orio  Pasquahgo,  entered  together  to  examine 
him.  As  the  Council  was  not  willing  to  accept  the 
sole  responsibility  of  the  trial,  a  committee  was  chosen, 
consisting  of  twentv  nobles  of  the  most  ancient  and 
illustrious  families  of  \emce;  these-,  however,  were 
onlv  to  have  a  \  ore  m  consultation,  but  not  upon  the 
final  sentence'.  Ir  was  in  this  \vav  that  tin-  '/onta.'  or 
supplementary  commuter  of  the  Council  of  I  en,  was 
constituted,  and  its  usefulness  \\as  so  readily  recognised 
that  from  that  time  on  it  was  abvavs  called  to  assist  in 
cases  nt  unusual  importance.  It  followed  that  the  court, 
before  which  the  Doge  was  to  be  tried,  consisted  of 


xi     CONSPIRACY  OF  MARINO  FALIKRO     335 

thirty-seven  persons,  i.e.  nine  of  the  Council  of  I  en, 
since  Niccolo  Fahero  could  not  sit,  six  ducal  counsellors, 
nventv  of  the  committee  of  nobles,  and  two  avogadori 
of"  the  Commonwealth.  The  High  Chancellor,  I  pre- 
sume, however,  must  also  have  been  present  "n  which 
case  the  court  consisted  of"  thirty-eight.  Contempo- 
rary documents  give  us  the  names  of  all  these  judges 
except  the  last. 

On  the  seventeenth  the  three  individuals  who  had  been 
with  Marino  Faliero  bv  night  opened  the  case.  I  he 
accusations  having  been  heard,  examined,  and  discussed 
bv  the  court,  the  following  proposal  was  made:  — 
'  Does  it  seem  to  you  that  from  what  has  been  said 
and  read,  proceedings  should  be  taken  against  Marino 
raiiero,  the  Doge,  for  attempting  to  betray  the  State 
and  Commonwealth  of  Venice?'  Following  the  so- 
called  Rite  of  the  Council  of  I  en,  the  heads  and  the 
avogadori  of  the  Commune  proposed  the  sentence,  and 
this  was  discussed  until  evening.  It  was  finally  decided 
that  Marino  Faliero  should  be  beheaded  on  the  landing 
of  the  stone  staircase,  where  he  had  sworn  t ". e  ducal 
oath  of  allegiance.  It  was  further  decreed  bv  the 
sentence-  that  all  his  goods  should  be  confiscated,  with 
the-  exception  of  two  thousand  lire  of  grossi,  equal  to 
five  hundred  pounds,  which  he  was  to  be  allowed  to 
leave  as  hi  would  bv  \\ill.  All  that  now  remained  was 
to  announce  to  the  Doge-  the  sentence  of  death,  and  to 
strip  him  of  the  ducal  insignia.  Giovanni  (irademgo 
was  charged  with  this  duty,  the  same  man  who  was 
presenth  to  take  his  place  upon  the  ducal  throne.  lie 


•-'«          (ILKAMNGS    FROM    HISTORY  xi 

\\as  ot  tin.1  tamilv  ot  the  Dogess;  and  it  is  possible, 
thouidi  1  think  extremely  improbable,  that  the  Council 
intended  to  semi  to  the  condemned  man  a  person  who 
tm<;hf  in  some  measure  show  him  sympathy  in  his  last 
moments.  It  the  tribunal  reallv  had  anv  such  intention, 
ir  must  be  admitted  that  the  manner  in  which  it  was 
carried  out  left  much  to  be  desired.  A  chronicler  ot"  a 
later  time  savs  that  he  heard  the  story  told  as  follows: 
'  Mcsser  /nan  (iradenigo  was  the  person  who  received 
tin-  orders  ot  the-  chiefs  of  the  1  en  to  go  to  the  Doge; 
and  he  found  him  walking  up  and  down  in  the-  hall  of 
his  house-  (the  palace).  At  once  he  said  to  him,  "(live 
me  that  cap."  And  he,  the  Doge,  with  his  hands,  gave 
ir  up,  not  suspecting  a  sentence  of  death.  And  he 
((iradenigo)  said  to  him,  "  i  on  are  condemned  to  have 
vour  head  cut  off  within  the-  hour."  Having  heard 
which  he  (the  Doge)  was  in  great  anguish,  and  could 
nor  answer  anything.' 

It  is  certain  that  Marino  Faliero  immediately  made 
Ins  will  In  the  hand  of  a  notarv.  I  his  document  is 
still  \\liolK  preserved,  and  is  the'  best  argument  that 
could  be  produced  of  the  honour  of  the  Dogess.  B\ 
it  the  I  )ooe,  \\bo  was  about  to  die,  leaves  Ins  wife  sole 
executrix  of  his  last  \\ill;  leaving  it  also  to  her  to  do 
tor  Ins  soul  \\hat  she  could  with  what  he  left  her,  in  the 
sva\  ot  pious  services  and  chanties. 

About  sunset  the  condemned  man,  deprived  of 
all  his  ducal  insignia,  came  down  from  Ins  apartment 
to  rhc  andm^  of  the  staircase,  and  on  the  same  spot 


xi     CONSPIRACY  OF  MARINO  FAUKRO     337 

hold  the  constitution  of  the  State,  his  head  was 
cut  off. 

1  he  bloody  sword  with  which  the  execution  was 
performed  was  shown  to  the  people  from  the  loggia  of 
the  palace. 

1  he  following  quotation  is  taken  from  an  anonvmous 
chronicler  of  the  sixteenth  or  seventeenth  centurv, 
quoted  by  Lazzarini,  and  gives  some  further  details  of 
the  end  of  Marino  Faliero,  though  it  is  impossible  to 
truarantee  them  as  wholly  trustworthy: 

o 

'^ou  must  know  that  when  this  Marino  Faliero  was 
condemned  to  death,  the  tocsin  was  sounded;  and  that 
bell  which  rang  for  him  was  never  rung  again.  It  was 
put  awav  by  the  Council  of  1  en,  who  ordained  that  if 
any  one  should  propose  that  it  should  ever  be  rung 
again  hereafter,  his  head  should  be  cut  oft.  And  wit 
ye  that  the  said  bell  was  not  at  that  time  in  the  bell- 
tower  of  Saint  Mark,  but  was  in  the-  palace;  and  its 
use  was  to  give  a  signal  to  the  "pregadi";  and  after- 
wards it  was  put  out  of  use,  and  taken  awav  and  hidden. 
However,  not  verv  long  after  that,  it  was  hung  in  the 
bell-tower  of  Saint  Mark's,  and  it  is  the  bell  which  has 
no  tongue,  no  rope,  and  no  lever;  and  the  said  bell  is 
in  the  shape  of  a  hat,  as  mav  be  seen  to  the  present 
clav;  and  is  reserved  tor  some1  like  princely  occasion. 

'I  he  body  of  the  unfortunate  man  was  laid  upon  a 
matting,  with  the  head  at  the  feet,  in  one-  of  the  halls 
of  the  ducal  palace,  and  remained  there  during  twentv- 
four  hours,  during  which  time  the  people  were  freelv 
admitted  to  ga/e  on  the-  mournful  spectacle.  On  the 


^X          (il.KAMNCS    FROM    HISTORY  xi 

r\t  nino  of  rlu-  eighteenth,  without  honours  and  without 
any  procession,  ir  was  laid  in  a  corHn,  ami  taken  bv  hoar 
as  tar  as  San  (  Iio\  anni  e  Paolo,  to  hi-  laid  in  the  tomh  of 
tin.'  I'  ahero  tamib  .  I  his  was  an  enormous  sarcophagus 
ot  Isrna  stone,  ot  trulv  huge  dimensions,  upon  which 
were  carved  the  arms  of  the  1' alien. 

In  iSi2  Giovanni  Casoni,  a  student  who  was  collect- 
mo;  all  possible  information  regarding  the  Arsenal  ami 
other  principal  points  in  \  emce,  was  in  the  church  ot 
San  ( iiovanni  c  Paolo  when  this  sarcophagus  was  opened. 
It  was  quite  full  ot  human  skeletons,  placed  in  lavers, 
which  were  verv  carefully  taken  out  and  laid  upon  the 
pa\ement  ot  the  court,  m  order  to  he  transported 
elsewhere,  \\hen  almost  at  the  end  of  the  operation,  a 
decapitated  skeleton  was  found,  with  the  skull  between 
the  le^s.  C'asom  savs  that  he  felt  instantly,  with  inti- 
mate- ccrtamtv,  that  the  remains  were  those  of  the  Doge, 
Marino  Fa  hero.  'At  that  moment,'  he  says,  '  I  \\  as  far 
from  recalling  memories  of  the  Doge-,  and  did  not  in 
the  least  suspect  that  I  should  ever  ha\e  found  his 
ashes,  or  held  his  skull  m  mv  hands.'  \\ith  admirable 
simplicity  the  \\nter  remarks  that  it  was  onlv  his  regard 
for  the  regulations  of  the  Health  Office,  and  his  reluct- 
ance  to  net  into  trouble  with  the  representatives  of  the 
citv  government,  \\hich  prevented  him  from  immediately 
taking  possession  of  the  skull,  and  cairvmsj,  it  otl . 

I, old  Bvron.  m  iKicj,  kne\\  nothing  of  this  discovery, 
and  making  ini|inries  about  the  tomb  of  the  beheaded 
I  )o^e  m  San  (Iiovanni  e  Paolo,  a  priest  showed  him  a 
small  tomb  built  into  the  \\all,  ami  tried  to  persuade 


xi     CONSPIRACY  OF  MARINO  FALIERO    339 

him  that  this  was  Marino  Faliero's  last  resting-place; 
a  matter  concerning  which  the  poet  expressed  consider- 
able doubt. 

The  great  stone  sarcophagus  spoken  of  by  Giovanni 
Casoni  was  used  afterwards  during  many  vears  as  a 
reservoir  by  the  apothecary  of  the  Civil  Hospital,  and 
is  to-day  in  the  outer  loggia  of  the  Correr  Museum, 
bearing  no  trace  of  inscription  or  arms.  The  latter 
were  probably  shipped  oft. 

With  regard  to  the  absence  from  the  archives  of  the 

O 

Council  of  Ten  of  all  documents  relating  to  the  trial 
of  Marino  Faliero,  many  historians,  among  whom  are 
Romanin  and  Rawdon  Brown,  are  inclined  to  suppose 
that  it  was  not  entered  in  the  acts  of  the  Council,  owing 
to  what  they  call  a  certain  praiseworthy  shame  on  the 
part  of  the  judges,  which  hindered  them  from  inserting 
the  name  of  the  head  of  the  Republic  among  those  of 
other  condemned  persons.  There  are  sufficient  reasons 
and  sufficient  proofs,  however,  for  supposing  that  the 
whole  account  of  the  trial  was  set  down  in  a  special 
book,  which  had  no  place  in  the  regular  series  of  the 
archives  of  the  Council;  and  that  this  volume  was 
either  lost,  or  was  burned  in  one  of  the  fires  which  have 
at  different  times  done  damage  in  the  ducal  palace. 
1  he  official  report  was  evidently  known  to  the  old 
chroniclers,  who  translated  long  passages  from  it,  from 
the  original  Latin  into  the  vulgar  tongue.  1  his  volume 
is  referred  to  in  a  marginal  note  found  in  a  document 
of  1355,  referring  to  the  conspiracy-  '  Ponatur  in 
hbro  processum.' 


^  CLK  \\I.\CS    FROM    HISTORY  xi 

I  In-  Council  of  1  en  was  never  subject  to  such 
praiseworthy  crises  ot  shame;  and  tin-  secretary  of  the 
Council,  as  La/./.anm  observes,  would  have-  been  \er\ 
much  astonished  it  In-  could  have  had  cognisance  ot  the 
conjectures  which  our  modern  senrmu'iiralism  would 
form  regarding  the  tacts.  A  number  ot  other  docu- 
ments are  missinj^  from  the  archives  ot  the  Council  ot 
1  en,  ot  which  the  absence  does  not  surest  either  a 
poetical  interpretation,  or  any  explanation  ot  a  political 
character;  the  papers  were  simplv  lost. 

1  he  unfortunate  Dogess,  who  perhaps  cjuitted  the 
ducal  palace  with  the  bodv  ot  her  beheaded  husband, 
was  obliged  soon  afterwards  to  leave  his  own  house, 
where  she  had  taken  refuse  to  hide  her  <_!,net.  I  lie 
municipality  took  possession  ot  all  property  which  had 
belonged  to  Marino  1'ahero,  but  restored  to  his  widow 
tin-  whole  amount  ot  her  down,  and  two  thousand  lire 
left  her  hvthe  will  of  the  dec-eased.  I  he  wretched  widow 
\\as  obliged  to  swear  that  she  did  not  keep  anv  object 
of  \alue  that  had  beloiiiieil  to  her  husband;  but  the 
C'ouncil  restored  to  her  a  little  brooch  ot  i^old,  with 
a  silver  pendant,  \\lnch  had  been  improjiei'K  confis- 
cated, since  it  had  come  to  her  from  her  o\\  n  family. 
1' urthermore,  i'i-rtain  ob|ec-ts  \\cre  re-turned  to  her 
which  she  am!  her  sister  Kn^oldisia  had  inherited  from 
1'iordahse  (iradcm^o,  their  mother.  I  he  poor  \\oman 
at  first  retired  to  the  coiueiit  of  Saint  Lawrence,  in 
the  district  ot  San  Scvero;  soon  afterwaids  she  \\ent 
tM  \  erona,  where  slie  had  some  lands,  but  at  last  she 
established  herself  in  a  house  of  her  own  in  \emee. 


THE    NAVE,    SS.    GIOVANNI     E    PAOLO 


xi     CONSPIRACY  OF  MARINO  FALIKRO     341 

During  manv  vears  she  occupied  herself  altogether  in 
chanties.  Little  bv  little  her  intelligence  began  to  give 
way,  as  is  amply  proved  In  the  great  number  ot  wills 
she  made,  which  are  still  extant.  I  hese  all  prove  that 
she  was  not  onlv  deeply  attached  to  the  relatives  of 
her  husband,  but  that  it  was  her  intention  to  be  more 
i^enerous  to  them  than  to  her  own,  especially  to 
Federip;o  ( iiustimani,  son  ot  Marino  Faliero's  daughter 

O  o 

bv  his  first  wife.  In  one  of  her  wills,  probably  executed 
at  the  instigation  ot  some  nephew,  she  says  that  she 
may  change  her  mind,  and  says  that  the  only  will  of 
hers  which  is  to  be  considered  valid  is  the  one  which 
begins  'Libera  ammam  meam,  Domine';  which,  as 
La/./arini  savs,  sounds  like  a  crv  from  the  heart  of  the 
unhappy  woman,  tormented  throughout  her  long  and 
sad  old  age  by  relations  who  gave  her  no  peace,  and 
expected  to  profit  largely  by  her  wealth. 


XII 


TIN.    SUCCESSORS    OF    MARINO    FALIKRO 

(iiovANM  (iKADKMGO,  \vho  succeeded  Marino  Paliero, 

was  fiirtunatc  enough  to  conclude'  a  treatv  ot  peace  with 

the    (lenoc-sr;     and    (iiovanm    Dolrin,    tin- 

IK  \r    Done    after    him,    showed    some    skill 

in    obtaining    from    the    Emperor    the    recognition    of 

\emces    su/eramtv    over   tin-   ri-rntor\'   of     I  reviso.      It 

was  on  this  occasion  that  the  lord  of  Sench  arbitrarily 

threu     into    prison    two    \  enetian    ambassadors,    as     I 


xii    SUCCESSORS  OF  MARINO  FALIERO    343 

have   told   in   speaking  of   the   treatment   of  strangers. 
The  immediate  effect  of   the  outrage  was 

....  .  .  Rom,  in.  209, 

to   rouse  m  the  highest  degree  the  resent- 
ment of  Venice  against  the   Duke  of  Austria   and   his 
vassal,  and  matters  were  at  a  critical  pitch  when  the 
Doge  died. 

The  electors  quickly  agreed  upon  a  (iradenigo, 
a  Dandolo,  a  Cornaro,  and  a  Contarmi  as  candidates 
tor  the  ducal  dignity;  hut  before  thev  had  come  to  a 
choice  between  these  news  was  brought  that  Lorenzo 
Celsi,  the  'Captain  of  the  Gulf,'  had  taken  a  number  of 
Genoese  vessels  with  contraband  cargoes.  By  one  of 
those  sudden  caprices  which  have  always  affected  the 
minds  of  electors,  the  hero  of  the  hour  at  once  became 
the  onlv  candidate  on  whom  every  one  could  agree. 
Celsi  was  not  of  the  highest  nobility  and  was  barely 
riftv  vears  of  age,  but  these  objections  were  insignificant 
compared  with  the  prestige  he  now  enjoyed. 
'1  he  choice  fell  upon  him  by  unanimous 
consent,  and  his  election  was  announced  to  the  people 
almost  at  the  moment  when  the  report  of  his  victories 
was  discovered  to  be  a  fabrication.  "\  et,  almost  in- 
credible as  it  must  seem,  his  election  to  the  throne  caused 
no  discontent  in  spite  of  this  chilling  disillusionment. 

At  that  time  he  was  cruising  in  the  waters  of  Candia, 
and  a  deputation  of  twelve  nobles  departed  to  inform 
him  of  his  election,  while  a  special  council  assumed  the 
management  of  affairs  until  his  coming. 

An  incident  marked  his  arrival  which,  if  not  im- 
portant, is  memorable  as  having  caused  a  modification  in 


344  CI.KAMNC.S    FROM    HISTORY  xn 

theadornmentof  the  ducal  bonnet.  Loren/oCelsi  landed 
at  tin-  Ponu-  della  Pagha  on  the  twenty-first  ot  August 
i  .;M,  and  proceeded  to  the  palace  through  the-  midst  ot 
a  dense'  crowd,  in  which  every  man  uncovered  his  head 
as  the  Doge  passed,  except  one.  Celsi's  aged  father 
could  not  admit  that  an  old  man  should  rake  oft  his 
liar  to  his  own  son,  and  entirely  refused  to  do  so.  Hut 
the  Doov,  who  was  a  diplomatist,  found  means  to 
reconcile  his  father's  prejudice  with  the  rules  of  \  enetian 
ceremonial,  lie-  fastened  a  small  golden  cross  upon 
the  front  of  his  cap,  and  explained  to  his  stiff-necked 
parent  rhar  it  was  no  derogation  of  dignity  for  an  old 
man  to  salute  the  sacred  svmhol. 

Celsi  also  introduced  the  custom  bv  which  the  Doge 
wore  a  dress  of  pure  white  when  he  appeared  in  public 
at  anv  of  the  festivals  kept  bv  the  Church  in  honour  of 
the  \  irjMn  Man,  and  this  innovation  found  favour  \\irh 
most  of  his  successors. 

Ills  R-ILMI,  though  short,  was  brilliant.  lie  received 
the  friendly  visit  of  the  Duke  of  Austria,  of  which 
mention  has  been  made-,  and  which  brought  about 
excellent  results.  I  he  Kmu  of  CYprus  also  spent  a 
short  rime  in  \  emce  during  the  reign,  when  he-  made 

his    |ournev    through    Kurope   to   preach    a 

/i1  ••../-.  ,  ,  ,  , 

crusade  against  the  1  urks.  'I  he  most 
important  event  which  occurred  under  Loren/o  Celsi, 
howe^  er,  \\  ;is  the  Cretan  war. 

I  he  turbulent  spinr  of  rhe  n;in\es  of  the  island,  and 
the  excessive  lo\e  of  independence  exhibited  hv  rhe 
\enetian  nobles,  to  whom  rhe  Republic  had  granted 


xii    SUCCESSORS  OF  MARINO  FALIERO     345 

fiefs  in  Candia,  had  brought  matters  to  the  verge  of  a 
revolution.  The  people  flatly  declined  to  pav  tribute 
to  the  mother  city,  and  strongly  resented  the  remon- 
strances made  by  the  Venetian  government  through 
Donato  Dandolo,  the  governor  ot  Crete. 

At  last,  when  he  demanded  the  payment  of  a  tax 
which  had  been  voted  in  order  to  strengthen  the  forti- 
fications of  the  harbour,  the  Cretans  replied  that  they 
would  not  pav  a  farthing  until  they  had  sent  a 
deputation  of  twenty  intelligent  men  to  Venice,  who 
should  lav  before  the  Senate  a  statement  of  the  so- 
called  rights  of  the  colony,  \\ith  more  readiness 
than  prudence,  one  of  the  governor's  Council  answered 
that  there  were  not  twenty  intelligent  men  in  the 
island. 

1  he  observation  may  not  have  been  altogether 
unjust,  judging  from  the  total  lack  of  sense  afterwards 
shown  by  the  Cretans,  but  it  had  the  immediate  and 
not  surprising  effect  of  irritating  them,  and  the 
standard  of  revolt  was  raised  within  the  hour.  The 
flag  of  Saint  Mark  was  torn  down  and  replaced  bv  one 
bearing  the  image  of  Saint  1  itus,  the  protector  of  the 
island,  and  before  long  the  two  parties  were  fighting 
under  the  war-cries  of  'Saint  Titus  !'  and  'Saint  Mark  !' 
the  noble  colonists  and  the  natives  on  the  one  side,  and 
the  governor  and  his  soldiers  on  the  other. 

Venice  at  first  attempted  to  recall  the  island  to  its 
allegiance  by  pacific  embassies,  but  these  were  repulsed 
with  indignity  and  insult,  and  a  fleet  of  thirtv-three 
galleys,  carrying  six  thousand  men,  was  despatched 


UM          (ILKANINGS    FROM    HISTORY  xn 

under   Luchmo   dal   \erme,   a   noble  ot   \Tcronn.      1  he 

I'andiorcs  had  appealed  in  vain  to  the  Genoese  lor  help, 
the  arch-enemies  ot  their  mother-country,  and  in-m^  letr 
to  their  o\\  n  resources  rlu-\'  exhibited  in-itlu-r  courage 
nor  skill.  In  three  da\-s  six  thousand  nu-n  reduced 
rhi-  hundred  citu-s  ot  the  island  to  submission,  and,  after 
c.xccurmi^  tin-  ringleaders  and  taking  dm-  precautions 
a^ainsr  a  tresh  revolt,  the  victor  set  sail  tor  \  enice. 

I'etrarch  was  in  the  cirv  at  the-  nine,  and  in  one  ot 
his  hirers  he  has  letr  a  brilliant  and  poetic  account  ot 
rlu-  triumph  that  followed. 

It  chanced  that  I  was  leaning  at  niv  window  towards  the 
hour  ot  sixtc,  aiul  mincc\cs  were  turned  toward  the  open  sea; 

and     I     talked    with    the    Archbishop    ot     Patras, 
/  •  "••/  • 

,     ,.          whom   I   did    onee    lo\c'  a>    a    lirothei',  and   whom 

•     now   1    venerate  as  it  were  a  well-beloved  father. 


a  'jalli-v,  all  deeked  with  '^reen  branehes,  and  it  eame  ro\\'ed 
In  nian\'  rowers.  \o\\-  \\-hen  we  saw  this,  we  ceased  from 
talking  ;  \»\'  the  cre\v  ot  the  ship  \vei'e  ot  |o\ous  mien,  and 
the\  s\\'im^  the  oat's  with  sueh  ri'jlu  goodwill  that  \\'e  guessed 
them  to  be-  bearers  ot  'jl.nl  tidings.  I  he  sailors  all  wore 
crowns  ot  lea\es  on  their  heads,  and  in  their  hands  the\  \va\ed 
banners,  and  thev  that  stood  in  the  bows  shouti'd  ]o\  t 
I  lien  the  sentinel  who  watched  on  the  top  ot  tin  tn'st  tower 
tortlr.\"ith  m.nle  signal  to  ^i\c  warimiL;  that  a  -hip  from  abroad 
was  :;i  -i_[ht,  an.  I  all  tin-  people  to  jet  tier,  i  iriosin  , 

over  to   Lido.       As  the  ship  came  nearer  we    saw  al-o    trophies 
ot    \var   set    up   on    her  [iarl  ;    toi    >urel\     this    \\.i-    the 

:  •  :  ,  .'.  hit  h  the\  \\'e;e  bnir^m_r  in,  but  in  \\hat 
war  it  h,;  i  been  won,  or  in  what  battle,  or  at  what  stormed 
.  '  '.  ,  '.'.  ;•  f.  :  lew  not. 


xii    SUCCESSORS  OF  MARINO  FAEIERO    347 

When  the  messengers  had  landed  they  went  before  the 
Great  Council,  and  there  we  learned  that  which  we  had  not 
dared  to  believe  nor  even  to  hope;  for  our  enemies  were  rll 
dead  or  taken  prisoners  or  put  to  flight,  and  the  honest  citizens 
were  freed  out  of  slavery,  the  cities  also  were  won  back,  and 
all  the  island  of  Candia  had  submitted  to  the  Republic.  So 
the  war  was  over  without  striking  a  blow,  and  peace  had  been 
got  with  glory. 

Petrarch's  logic  here  evidently  went  to  pieces  in  the 
storm  of  his  satisfaction,  for  he  speaks  of  a  bloodless 
victory  immediately  after  telling  his  correspondent  that 
all  the  enemies  of  the  Republic  were  slam  or  prisoners. 

The  I)oo;e  Lorenzo  Celsi  [here  the  poet  indulges  in  a  pun 
connecting  'Celsi'  with  'cxcelsus'],  unless  mv  love  for  him 
has  deceived  me  altogether,  is  a  man  of  most  noble  heart,  of 
purest  life,  one  who  follows  all  the  virtues,  most  wonderfully 
pious  and  devoted  to  his  country  ;  and  when  he  learned  the 
eood  news  he  openly  s^ave  thanks  to  God,  thereby  showing 
the  people  that  in  every  happy  event  man  must  acknowledge 
the  divine  hand,  and  dispose  his  own  happiness  under  the  pro- 
tecting shield  of  faith.  And  pravers  were  offered  throughout 
the  city,  but  were  especially  in  the  basilica  dedicated  to  the 
Evangelist  Saint  Mark.  .  .  . 

Now  the  whole  feast  ended  with  two  pageants ;  but  I 
confess  that  I  know  not  by  what  name  to  call  them,  ana  so 
I  shall  describe  them  in  such  manner  that  thou  mavest  easily 
understand  them.  The  one  was,  as  it  were,  a  race  and  the 
other  a  combat  ;  and  both  were  on  horseback,  the  first  with- 
out reins  and  only  with  staves  and  banners,  that  it  seemed  to 
be  some  military  exercise;  but  in  the  second  <j;ame  arms  were 
needed,  and  it  was  like  unto  a  real  battle.  Both  in  the  one  and 
in  the  other  we  marvelled  at  the  gifts  of  the  Venetians,  who 


US  GLEANINGS    FROM    HISTORY  xn 

a iv  not  onlv  wonderful  sailers  of  ships,  hut  arc  also  verv  skilled 
in  all  those  exercises  which  belong  to  the  art  ot  war. 

l-'or  thev  showed  such  experience  ot  riding  and  such  deep 
knowledge  of  the  handling  ot  arms,  and  such  endurance  of 
fatigue,  that  one  might  set  them  up  for  examples  to  other  war- 
like nations.  I  he  two  games  were  held  in  that  square  ot 
which  1  deem  there  is  not  the  like  in  the  world,  that  is  o\er 
against  the  marble  and  gold  front  ot  the  temple  ot  Saint  Mark. 

No  stranger  had  a  share  in  the  tirst  of  the  panics,  hut  four 
anil  twentv  nobles,  the  goodliest  and  most  richlv  clad,  kept  f->r 
themselves  this  part  ot  the  pageants.  .  .  . 

It  was  a  good  sight  to  see  so  many  voung  men,  in  clothes 
of  purple  and  gold,  curbing  and  spurring  their  well-shod  steeds, 
all  shmmglv  caparisoned,  that  seemed  harcllv  to  touch  earth 
in  their  s\vift  course.  These  voung  men  obeved  the  ges- 
ture ot  their  chief  with  such  precision  that  as  the  first  reached 
the  goal  and  left  the  held,  a  second  took  his  place  on  the  track, 
and  then  a  third,  and  so  on  till  the  first  began  again,  so  well 
that  thcv  kept  up  the  racing  all  dav  long,  and  that  at  evening 
one  might  ha\'e  believed  that  there  had  been  but  one  cavalier 
who  rode;  and  while  thev  ran  thou  wouldc-t  ha\  e  seen  now 
the-  'jilded  tips  ot  their  staves  Hvmg  through  the'  air,  and  now 
thou  couldest  ha\  e  heard  their  red  flags  stiffening  in  the  hree/.e 
with  a  sound  as  of  wings. 

(  )ne  might  scarce  believe  what  multitudes  thronged  in  the 
sijiiare  ot  S.unt  Mark's  on  that  dav.  I  here  were  both  sexes 
and  all  ages  and  everv  class.  The  Doge  himself  was  on  the 
terrace  \vhicli  is  built  on  tin-  front  of  the  church,  with  main 
nobles  ;  from  u-  height  he  sa\v  almost  at  his  teet  all  that  moved 
in  the  sijuare  below.  I  bus  he  \\Tas  in  the  midst  ot  those  tour 
•jilt  horses,  the  work  ot  an  ancient  and  unknown  craft-man, 
th.it  look  reach'  to  measure  themselves  against  living  coursers, 
and  seem  to  paw  the  air.  Lest  the  summer  sun  should  da//lc 
the  e\  es,  curtains  of  main  colours  had  been  hung  here  and 


xii    SUCCESSORS  OF  MARINO  FALIKRO    .UQ 

tin- re.  I  m\  self  was  hidden,  as  often  the  Doge  deigns  that  I 
should  he,  and  he  made  me  sit  at  his  right.  .  .  .  The  great 
square,  the  church,  the  towers,  the  roots,  the  porticoes,  the 
windows,  were  all  crowded  with  lookers-on.  At  the  right 
a  hiirh  platform  had  been  raised  whereon  sat  four  hundred 
matrons,  of  the  noblest,  and  fairest,  and  most  richly-dressed  in 
the  citv  ;  and  they  continually  ate  the  sweetmeats  which  were 
offered  to  them  ;  and  in  the  morning,  and  at  noon,  and  at 
evening,  it  was  as  if  thev  were  a  company  come  down  from 
heaven.  There  were  also  bidden  to  the  pageant  several  Eng- 
lish noblemen,  kinsmen  to  the  king,  who  had  come  to  Venice 
bv  sea,  to  exercise  themselves  in  the  art  of  navigation  ;  and 
the^e  gentles  verv  freely  shared  our  ]ov  over  the  victors'. 

This  racing  lasted  several  davs,  and  there  was  no  pn/.e  but 
the  honour,  for  in  this  first  game  there  were  no  victors  and  no 
vanquished. 

Hut  for  the  second  game  pri/.es  were  made  reach',  for  there 
were  dangers  to  be  faced,  and  the  result  could  not  be  alike  for 
all.  There  was  a  crown  of  gold  adorned  with  precious  stones 
for  the  fii'Nt  winner,  and  a  richly-chiselled  silver  belt  for  the 
second.  An  edict  had  been  sent  forth,  written  in  the  militarv 
and  vulgar  tongue,  under  the  Dole's  seal,  to  invite  the  people 
of  the  neighbouring  provinces  to  take  part  in  this  content 
on  horseback  ;  and  indeed  there  came  a  good  number  of  con- 
testants, not  Italians  onlv,  but  also  strangers  who  spoke  other 
languages,  hoping  to  win  the  pn/.e  and  to  cover  themselves 
with  tilory. 

The  jousting  lasted  four  davs,  and  since  Venice  was,  there 
never  was  seen  a  fairer  sight.  On  the  last  dav  the  l)o<j;e,  the 
nobles,  and  the  strangers  who  hail  been  present,  and  also  he 
who  ordered  the  combat,  to  whom,  after  Ciod,  was  due  all  the 
jov  of  the  tournament,  gave  the  fn^t  pri/.e  to  a  gentleman 
of  Venice,  and  the  second  to  a  stranger  from  rcrrara. 

Mere  ends  the  feast,  but  not  the  rejoicing.      Mere  ends  also 


350          GLEANINGS    FROM    HISTORY  xn 

this  letter,  by  which  I  have  endeavoured  to  show  unto  thine 
eves  and  to  make-  heard  in  thine  ears  that  of  which  sickness  has 
deprhed  them,  that  thou  mavest  know  what  is  ilom^  amongst 
us,  and  understand  that  even  among  navigators  there  are  found 
excellent  warriors,  and  souls  ot  choice,  and  contempt  of  gold 
and  thirst  for  honour. 

Unhappily     the    triumph     so    vivullv    described     bv 
Petrarch    was    not    final,    and    two    vears    later,    before 
Loren/o  Celsi  had  closed  his  eves  tor  ever,  another  revolt 
broke  out  in  Candia.      1  his  time  \  enice  took  such  radical 
measures  that,  in  the  words  of  one  ot  the-  '  provvediton,' 
'another  rebellion   was   impossible,  terrible 
[',./•/-•«.    examples  had  swept  awav  the  ringleaders, 
the    torrrc-ssc-s    which    gave    them    asvlums, 
the   cities   ot    Lasitha    and    Anapolis,   every 
building  which    might   afford   a   stronghold,   were   ra/.ed 
to    the    ground;     those    ot    the    inhabitants    who    were 
not     put     to     the     sword     were     transported     to     other 
districts,     the     surrounding     neighbourhood     uas     con- 
verted   into    a    desert,    and    thenceforward    no   one,    on 
pain   of    death,   was   permitted   to   cultivate,   or  even   to 
approach   it.' 

I  his   was    in    i  ^>h,    hut   Celsi    had    died    at   the   fresh 
outbreak  of  the  revolution,  most  opportunely,  some  his- 
torians say,  tor  his  reputation  and  honour.      It  was  even 
thought  that  if  he  had  lived  a  few  vears  longer  he  would 
have  ended  like  Marino  I'  a  hero.    (  I  rave  accusations  were 
made  a^ains'    him   during  the   last   months 
of  his  lift.-,  but  the  Council  of    I  en  declared 
tin-in   to   be   false,   and    his   successor   uas   instructed    to 


xii     STCCKSSORS  OF  MARINO  FALIKRO     351 

declare,  when  presiding;  the  first  time  at  the  meeting 
of  the  Grand  Council,  that  the  memory  of  the  deceased 
Doge  was  untarnished. 

J  his  successor  was  the  aged  Marco  Corner,  whose 
election  was  warmlv  contested.  The  accounts  left  us 
of  what  happened  in  the  ducal  palace  during  the  inter- 
regnum which  followed  the  death  of  Lorenzo  Celsi 
enlighten  us  as  to  the  objections  which  might  he  raised 
in  the  electors  against  a  candidate  to  the  throne. 
Marco  Corner  was  too  old;  he  was  too  poor;  he  was 
on  good  terms  with  several  foreign  princes,  whom  he 
had  known  when  he  had  been  abroad  as 

Rom.  iii.  22,). 

ambassador;     but    the    gravest    charge,    or 
objection,  was  that  he  had  married  a  burgher's  daughter, 
whose  familv  would  not  know  how  to  behave  towards 
the  head  of  the  Republic. 

Marco  Corner,  who  was  present  amongst  the  electors, 
at  first  said  nothing  to  the  other  objections;  but  when 
slighting  mention  was  made  of  his  wife,  the  thin  old 
man  with  snow-white  hair  stood  up  in  his  place  suddenly, 
and  cried  out  that  he  honoured  and  esteemed  his  a<red 

C""1 

wife,  who  was  'so  good  and  virtuous  that  she  had 
alwavs  been  respected  b\  all  the-  women  of  the  \  enetian 
state  as  much  as  if  she  came  of  one  of  the  greatest 
families.' 

lie  added  bluntly  that  as  for  his  acquaintance  with 
foreign  princes, his  friendships  had  profited  the  Republic 
more  than  himself;    since-,  if  he  had  sought       M-!»;r>iti, 
his    own    advantage,    he    would    not    have    ; 
deserved  to  be  reproached  with  his  poverty,  nor  would 


>s.'.          GLEANINGS    FROM    HISTORY          xn 

his  \\ik-  be  obliged  'ro  turn  her  dresses  again  and  again, 
le.sr  thev  should  he  seen  ro  he  worn  our.' 

I  he  hrave  old  patrician's  heartfelt  words  made  a 
deep  impression  on  his  hearers;  the  objections  that  had 
been  raised  tell  away  in  an  instant,  and  he  was  elected, 
1  believe,  unanimously.  Me  took  his  place  on  the 
ducal  throne,  and  his  wife  Caterina,  the-  companion  ot 
his  lite-long  povertv,  left  their  poor  little  house  tor  the 
splendours  ot  the  palace.  I  he  chronicles  speak  no 
more-  ot  her;  we  do  not  even  know  whether  she  died 
during  her  husband's  three  vears'  reign,  or  survived 
that  <|inet  interval  ot  tranquillity  tor  the  Republic. 

Marco  Corner  died  in  the'  belief,  no  doubt,  that  his 
countrv  would  long  en]ov  the  peace  which  his  prudence 
and  skill  had  brought  about.  ^  et  a  dav  was  at  hand 
which  came  near  to  being  fatal  to  the  Republic.  One 
mi<dit  almost  conclude  that  when  Andrea  Contanni  had 
buried  himself  in  the  countrv  on  the  mainland  after 
ha\  UIL:  twice  refused  the-  ducal  honours,  and  very  shortly 
before  Corner's  death,  he-  had  prescience  of  the-  storm 
that  was  brewing. 

I  he  time  had  come  when  he  could  refuse  no  longer; 
tor  modest  though  he  was,  he  knew  his  own  strength, 
and  knew  also,  as  men  of  genius  sometimes  do,  that  he 
alone  could  save  his  countrv  from  destruction  in  the 
greatest  crisis  of  her  existence.  I  he  memorable  war 
i it'  Chi< >""ia  was  at  hand. 


14 

\Sedfc5SSBf  l       £l       ;. 

]      w.     r  «i:  •? 


^.O^^tf'^l 

^SdlV^fll 


XI  IT 
CARLO   /K\() 

AT  this  pc-riocl  a  man  appears  upon  the  scene  \vho 
ck-sei\es  to  he  taken  as  the'  highest  t\-pc'  ot  a  \  e-netian 
nohle  and  of  a  dauntless  soldier,  in  that  remarkable  a^e. 
I  K-  played  surh  a  part  throughout  his  own  time,  rheetteet 
ot  his  sudden  appearance  at  the  most  critical  moment  in 
all  \  cnetian  history  \\as  so  incalculablv  great,  and  the 
generalship  he-  exhibited  was  of  such  a  superior  order, 
that  it  is  worth  while  to  give  him  a  place  apart  in  this 


e 


^54  CFFAMNCiS    FROM    HISTORY          xm 

work.      I  shall  condense  flu-  account  ot  his  earlier  vcars 
a.s   l.ii"  as   possible. 

His  historv,  \\nm-n  with  iM'eat  detail  hv  his  iM'and- 
son  jacopo  Zeno,  Bishop  ot  Felt  re  and  Belluna,  has 

••  .  ,•>,.<>;'•{.  been  preserved  by  Muraton  in  tlu-  nine- 
teenth volume  ot  the  .SYr//'/o;v.< .  ( )rlu  r 
histories  confirm  most  ot  the  tacts  tin-run  ivlated, 
and  tin- re  is  no  reason  to  doubt  the  rest;  vet  taken 
altogether,  as  the  lite  ot  a  possible  human  hun^,  rh 
storv  must  appear  to  most  readers  less  probable  than 
the  wildest  fictions  ot  the  elder  Dumas  or  \ictor 
IliiLio,  and  there  is  certamlv  no  talc-  in  the  Kn^lish 
language,  short  ot  Malor\"'s  M<rt<  J' .  -Irtl-nr,  at 
once  so  tascmatiiiL!;  and  so  incredible.  Fortunately 
it  is  supported  bv  the  e\ulence  ot  duneniporai'ies, 
b\'  the  acts  ot  tin-  \enetian  LI<  >\  ernnu-nt.  and, 
la>tl\',  as  to  tin-  dangers  he  survived,  b\-  the  testi- 
tiMin'  ot  those  who  prepared  his  bodv  tor  burial 
when  he  tiled  ot  extreme  old  aijv.  ami  \\  ho  found 
upon  him  the  scars  <>t  ii\  e-atul-t !nrr\  \\ounds,  a  <^reat 
number  ot  which  would  ha\e  been  tatai  to  an  ordinar\' 
mai  . 

Carlo  /mo  was  tin-  son  ot  Puttv  /uio  ;md  ot 
ALMICSC  Dandolo,  ;md  tin-retort-  came  ot  the  best  blood 
m  \  enice.  I'u-tro  had  been  for  some  time  ^o\t  rnor  of 
I'adua  under  the  Carrara,  and  had  subsi-(juentl\'  \\oii 
tin  la\otir  ot  Cope  Clement  \  I  b\  hi>  /cat  against 
thi  I  urk->  when  m  command  of  ;:  \ein-nan  s(itiadron 
in  the  Fast.  I  he  Fmperor  (  narles  l\  .  \\as  also 
v.  (  il  disposed  to\vards  him,  and  Carlo  was  named  .ifter 


xin  CARLO  ZKNO  J55 

that  sovereign,  who  sent  a  representative  to  appear  for 
him  at  the  child's  baptism. 

[Metro  died  seven  years  later,  leaving  ten  other 
children  and  a  verv  exiguous  fortune,  tor  he  had  always 
sought  glory  rather  than  wealth,  and  his  search  had 
been  rewarded. 

It  was  decided  to  make  a  clerk  of  Carlo,  and  to 
send  him  at  once  to  the  court  of  the  Pope  at  Avignon, 
Ihs  Venetian  schoolmaster  wrote  out  tor  him  a  Latin 
eulogium  of  his  father  and  taught  it  to  him,  and  when 
the  small  boy  was  brought  before  the  pontiff  and  the 
cardinals  he  knelt  down  and  recited  this  production 
without  a  fault.  His  august  hearers  were  moved  by 
his  beautv,  his  spirit,  his  memory,  ami  his  bodily  grace, 
and  the  performance  seemed  to  them  little  short  of 
miraculous  tor  a  child  of  seven  years.  1  he  Pope 
received  him  into  his  household,  the  future  man  of  war 
was  dressed  like  a  little  priest,  and  before  his  education 
was  halt  finished  he  was  designated  to  be  a  canon  of  the 
cathedral  of  Patras  with  a  rich  benefice.  After  a  time 
lie  was  sent  back  to  his  uncle  in  V  emce,  and  his  relations 
decided  that  he  should  be  sent  to  the  University  of 
Padua  to  make  his  studies. 

Before  he  was  thirteen  lie  had  his  first  taste  of  wounds 
and  his  first  narrow  escape.  \\  hen  returning  to  V  emce 
from  the  countrv  he  \\as  robbed  by  a  shabbily  dressed 
individual  who  imposed  on  him  in  order  to  be  allowed 
to  make  the-  trip  in  his  boat.  1  he  robber  left  him  tor 
dead,  but  he  revived,  and  reached  Mestre,  where  his 
hurts  were  dressed  ;  and  it  was  characteristic  of  the  future 


35'>          Cl, l.AMNr.S    FROM    HISTORY          xm 

man  rhar  although  a  men-  hov  he  succeeded  in  tracking 
hi.s  amMvssor  with  blood-hounds  ami  handed  him  over 
to  the  justice  ot  Padua,  where  the  man  was  executed. 

\tter  a  considerable  time  he  regained  his  strength, 
and  returned  to  his  studies  at  the  I  niversitv,  hut  his 
taste  tor  excitement  and  adventure  led  him  into  had 
companv;  he  gambled  awav  his  readv  monev,  and  even 
sold  his  hooks  in  order  to  plav,  until  at  last,  being 
<]inte  penniless  and  ashamed  to  go  home,  he  disappeared 
trom  Padua,  not  vet  a  grown  man,  and  joined  one  ot 
those  main'  fighting  bands  ot  mercenaries  which  were 
employed  In  the  Italian  princes  ot  the  time.  During 
the  following  five  vears  he  was  not  heard  ot  in  \emce, 
his-  relatives  ^a\e  him  up  for  dead,  and  when  he 
suddenlv  appeared  at  last  he  was  greeted  with  no  small 
delight  In  his  brothers  and  sisters. 

He  staved  a  \\hile  \\itli  his  fannlv  and  then  \\ent  to 
( Ireeee,  thinking  that  it  was  high  time  to  rake  possession 
ot  his  eanonrv  ot  Patras.  1  he  go\ernor  received  him 
\\ith  open  arms,  having  no  doubt  heard  that  /eno  \\as 
fond  ot  fighting,  tor  the  lurks  were  |ust  then  very 
troublesome;  and  the  voting  man  at  once  rendered 
i^ood  service,  and  would  no  doubt  havt  clone  much 
more,  had  he  nor  been  severelv  wounded  'niorr.db, 
sa\"s  the  (_;ood  bishop  ot  I'eltre.  During  the  m^ht  he 
tell  into  a  s\  neope  which  those  who  attended  him  took 
lor  death,  thev  according  proceeded  to  j)repare  him 
tor  interment,  and  onh  \\aited  tor  the  mormiiLi  in  ordi-r 
to  bun  him;  but  he  revived,  a  little  before  davbivak, 
and  escaped  being  buried  ahvr.  He  was  in  such  a 


CARLO   ZLNO  357 

condition  of  weakness  that  he  had  to  he  taken  to  \  enice 
to  recover. 

\\  hile  he  was  there.  Peter,  King  of  Cyprus,  came 
to  the  city  and  soon  took  a  strong  fancy  to  Zeno,  who 
seems  to  ha\e  made  himself  useful  to  this  new  patron 
in  various  wavs;  hut  soon  the  Emperor  Charles  I\., 
who  was  Carlo's  godfather,  appeared  in  Italv,  and 
rinding  his  godson  to  his  liking  carried  him  off  and 
kept  him  with  him  for  some  time,  employed  him  on 
business  which  gave  him  a  chance  of  seeing  France, 
Germany  and  England,  and  at  last  allowed  him  to 
return  to  I 'arras  and  to  his  somewhat  neglected  eccle- 
siastical career. 

Hut  he  was  destined  to  he  a  soldier.  Scarcely  had 
he  reached  his  destination  when  Patras  was  threatened 
l>v  an  armv  of  ten  or  twelve  thousand  Cvpnotes  and 
Frenchmen,  horse-  and  foot;  so,  at  least,  savs  Carlo's 
grandson  the  hishop,  in  not  verv  good  Latin.  I  he 
bishop  of  Patras  turned  at  once  to  /eno  and  placed 
under  his  command  the  small  force  of  which  he  could 
dispose,  being  about  seven  hundred  rulers.  \\  ith  this 
handful  of  men,  against  odds  of  fifteen  to  one.  Carlo 
kept  the  enemv  at  bav  during  no  less  than  six  months, 
without  losing  one-  man,  and  so  harassed  his  adversaries 
that  thev  abandoned  the  enterprise,  made.-  peace,  and 
retired.  ^  et,  as  if  whatever  he  did  must  lead  alwavs 
to  more'  fighting,  his  success  made  him  an  object  of 
envv  to  main',  and  especially  to  a  certain  (Ireek  knight, 
named  Simon,  who  had  the  audacity  to  accuse  him  of 
treachery,  ("hereupon  Zeno  challenged  his  calumniator 


(II.KAMNCiS    FROM    HISTORY          xm 

to  sinide  combat,  ;nul  the  dav  and  place'  of  meeting  were 
named.  I  he-  duel  was  to  he-  fought  in  Naples,  under 
the  auspices  of  (  hieen  Johanna,  of  evil  fame-.  lr  was  in 
vain  that  Carlo's  friends  besought  him  to  forgive  Simon, 
and  his  friend  the  bishop  exhausted  his  eloquence  in 
rrvm^  to  reconcile  the  two.  1  he  hot-blooded  young 
\  eiietian  preferred  to  throw  up  his  ecclesiastical 
benefice;  and  seeing  himself  thus  tree-  to  marrv,  since 
he  had  not  vet  actually  taken  orders,  he  forthwith 
espoused  a  noble  and  rich  ladv  of  Clarentia,  who  was 
very  much  m  love  with  him,  and  whose  fortune'  at  once 
supplied  the  place  of  the  large  income-  he  had  forfeited. 

He  was  obliged  to  lca\c  his  bride  almost  immediately 
in  order  to  meet  his  antagonist  in  Naples,  and  as  the 
Neapolitan  kingdom  was  distracted  bv  \\ars  he  had 
some-  difficulty  in  reaching  the  cirv.  1  o  his  surprise, 
and  probably  not  much  to  his  satisfaction,  the  Ouci-n 
chose  to  treat  the  quarrel  as  something  more  like-  a 
question  of  law  than  a  point  of  honour;  a  regular 
mquirv  took  place,  Simon  was  declared  to  have  been 
whollv  in  the-  wron^,  and  was  ordered  to  pav  all  the 
expenses  to  which  Xeno  had  been  put  on  Ins  account, 
and  Oueen  [ohanna  forbade  the  duel. 

His  honour  being  now  cleared  beyond  all  possible 
calumny,  he  returned  to  (  irecec  and  \\as  at  once-  named 
<^o\  ernor  of  a  prounce,  though  he  \\as  not  vet  t\\ent\- 
threi'  years  of  age,  and  Ins  subsequent  career  mijjit 
have  been  more  peaceful  than  it  turned  out  but  for  the 

sudden    death    of    his    \\lfe.        Her    relations,    or    the    Duke 

of    \chaia,  prompth'  cheated  him  of   her  dowry,  and  he 


XIII 


CARLO   /FAQ 


359 


once    more   turned    his   face    towards    \  emce,    a    good 
deal  saddened  and  nearlv  penniless. 


' 


Ami    n<m,    (hiring    rlu'    TL-IIII    nl    his    inniiniini:.    In.1 
seriousK"    thouht    of    betterin      his    Inrruiu-s    in    sonic 


. 


(  ,1.1    \M\(IS    FROM    HISTORY          xin 


permanent  \\  ;i\  ',  In  following  the-  example  of  so  in  an  v  <  >t 
his  countrvmeii  and  engaging  in  trade.  As  a  first  step, 
IK-  made  a  I_M  ><  >d  marriage  with  a  daughter  of  the 
(  luisrmiam  tamdv;  soon  afterwards  hi-  left  his  native 
city  to  estahhsh  himself  in  the  Kast  as  a  merchant,  and 
he  spent  .seven  vears  awav  from  home,  partly  in  the 
'city'  of  I  anais.  which  I  take  to  In-  the  modern  Rostov, 
at  the  mouth  of  tin-  Don,  and  parth'  in  Constantinople. 
Now  at  that  time  the  rightful  Kmperor  Calojohannes, 
who  had  heen  friendly  to  the  \  enetians,  was  kept 
a  close  prisoner  hv  his  son  Andromcus,  who  had  de- 
throned him,  and  favoured  the  Genoese.  Calo]ohannes 
was  shut  up  m  a  certain  fortress  which  overhung  tin- 
sea,  and  \\as  guarded  In'  a  captain  who  was  responsible 
for  him.  Andromcus  probahk  did  not  know,  however, 
that  this  captain's  wife  had  in  former  rimes  vielded  to 
the  seductions  of  Calojohannes,  and  was  still  devoted 
to  him.  It  now  occurred  to  the  captne  Kmperor  that 
shi-  could  safclv  con\e\'  letters  het\\'een  him  and  /eiio, 
\\hose  father  had  received  main  faxours  at  his  hands  in 
lornu-r  \'ears,  and  who  would  certainly  he  willing  to 
help  him  in  >\\  . 

1  In-  'littK-  \\oman,  as  tin-  bishop  calls  her,  succeeded 
in  her  dangerous  errand,  and  it  is  needless  to  sav  that 
rln-  mere  suu(H-stion  of  a  perilous  i-nterprisc  instantK' 
tired,  /.eno's  ima  Liniat  ion.  \\ith  incredible  speed  and 
\\ith  absoluteU  marvellous  skill,  he  won  over  no  less 
than  ei'_du  hundred  (iivek  soldn-rs  \\'ho  promised  to 
oln-\  him  imphcitb  \\lien  called  upon,  and  to  he  secret. 
I  he  latter  obligation  was  not  hard  to  perform,  as  they 


xin  CARLO   XENO  361 

would  certainly  have  lost  their  heads  if  they  had  not 
observed  it. 

All  being  reach"  for  the  bold  stroke,  it  only  remained 
to  bring  the  Emperor  safelv  out  of  prison  before 
attempting  a  revolution,  of  the  success  of  which  the 
sanguine  Xeno  had  not  the  slightest  doubt.  1  his  was 
not  exactlv  an  easv  matter,  and  Carlo  undertook  it 
himself.  I  he  Emperor's  bedroom  had  one  window 
high  above  the  water,  from  which  escape  must  have 
been  considered  impossible  since  it  was  not  protected 
bv  anv  (Mating.  Beneath  this  window  Xeno  came  on 
a  dark  midit  bv  agreement  with  the  captain's  wife,  and 
a  rope-  was  let  down  from  the  Emperor's  chamber.  I  he 
rest  was  child's  plav  to  the  athletic  voung  \  enetian, 
and  in  a  few  moments  he  was  in  the  presence  of  Calo- 
|ohannes.  But  he  had  not  counted  upon  the  hesitating 
character  and  the  soft  heart  of  the  man  he  wished  to 
set  free,  \\ith  manv  tears  the  unhappy  captive  ex- 
pressed his  gratitude  to  Xeno  tor  risking  his  lite  in  such 
an  adventure;  but  two  of  his  sons  were  in  the  power 
of  his  third  son,  Andronicus,  who  would  not  hesitate  to 
murder  them  on  learning  that  the  Emperor  had  escaped, 
and  Calo]ohannes  was  not  willing  to  sacrifice  the  chil- 
dren he  loved  tor  the  sake  of  a  tew  short  vears  of  lite 
on  the  throne. 

Carlo  answered  that  there  was  no  time  for  weeping 
and  hesitating,  and  that  Calojohannes  should  ha\e  con- 
sidered these  matters  sooner;  that  it  he  would  climb 
down  the  rope  at  once  Xeno  was  readv  to  do  all  he  had 
promised,  and  more  also,  but  it  not,  Xeno  would  refuse 


GLEANINGS    FROM    HISTORY          xm 

ro  have  anything  to  do  with  the-  matter  again.  1  he 
Kmperor  continued  to  hesitate  and  to  shed  tears,  and 
/eiio  left  him  at  once. 

Nevertheless,  no  long  rime  passed  before  the  captain's 
wife  was  a<iam  the  hearer  ot  an  entreating  letter  from 
rhe  captive,  who  once  more  implored  his  friend's  assist- 
ance; and  hv  wav  of  an  inducement  he  added  that  he 
had  made  a  will  leaving  the-  island  of  I  enedos  to  rhe 
\  eiietian  Repuhhc.  1  he  v^ill  itself  accompanied  the 
letter,  to  prove  the  writer's  good  faith,  /eno  answered, 
accepting  rhe  proposal  on  behalf  of  his  country,  and  rhe 
hrrle  woman  hul  rhe  letter  in  her  shoe.  I  nhappilv  for 
lu-r  and  for  tlie  prisoner  it  dropped  our  |iist  before  she 
entered  the  Lmperor's  room,  and  was  instantly  picked 
up  hv  a  sentinel  and  sent  to  Andronicus.  I  he  poor 
messenger  was  sei/ed,  tortured,  and  made-  to  confess  the 
whole  plot,  including  of  course-  the  parr  plaved  In  /eno. 

Ills  life  \\as  no\\  in  imminent  danger;  In-  could 
neither  remain  in  Constantinople  nor  leave  \\irhour 
iMvar  risk  of  being  taken  and  executed  for  high  treason. 
\  enice  at  that  time  sent  a  Bailo,  or  military  ambassador, 
to  tin-  capital  of  rhe  Last,  who  hail  jurisdiction  over 
all  Venetians  residing  then;  in  due  course,  and  wirh 
rlu-  proper  formalities,  Andronicus  applied  ro  rlus  hi^h 
ofhcial  to  have  /eno  arrested  as  having  conspired  against 
the  throne-,  and  the  ambassador's  position  would  mani- 
festly  have  been  extremeh1  delicate  if  /.eno  had  not 
opportunely  made  his  escape  hv  the  aid  of  a  soldier 
who  was  grateful  ro  him,  and  \\Iio  helped  him  ro 
•jt-r  on  hoard  one-  of  the  \enetian  men-of-war  which 


Mil 


CARLO  ZEXO 


363 


periodically    visited    the    city    in    order   to    protect    the 
interests   of  the    Republic. 

Zeno  no\v  showed  the   Emperor's  N\iil  to  the  officer 


in  command,  and  the  latter  considered  that,  in  v 
a  possible  attempt  on  the  part  of  the-  (  Jcnoese,  it 
be  justifiable  to  try  to  sei/e  1  enedos.  On  re 


i\'\v  of 
would 
achin 


3'H  CiLKAMNGS    FROM    HISTORY         xm 

rlie  island  it  was  touiul  ro  In-  in  the  keeping  <>t  a  (ireek 
officer,  who  still  held  it  in  the  name  of  the  dethroned 
Kmperor.  1  he  fortress  was  ascertained  to  he  tullv 
provisioned  and  provided  with  an  abundance  ot  amis, 
and  hv  no  means  to  he  taken  h\'  assault.  Hut  Carlo 
ohtamed  an  interview  with  the  governor,  and  soon 
persuaded  him  that  his  hest  course-,  in  the-  interests  ot 
Caloiohannes,  would  he  to  place  the  island  uiuler  the 
protection  ot  \enicc.  I  hereupon  the  squadron  left  a 
strong  garrison  in  the  town  and  returned  to  \  enice  with 
Zeno. 

I  he  Senate  did  not  altogether  approxe  the  high- 
handed annexation;  nevertheless,  tearing  lest  the 
(Jenoesc-  should  help  Andronicus  to  reco\'er  tin-  island, 
rlu-\-  determined  to  send  a  fleet  ot  fifteen  ships  to  guard 
it,  under  Pietro  Mocemgo,  and  not  lon^  atter\\'ards  t\\o 
more  vessels  were  senr  to  join  the  squadron,  the  one  com- 
manded hv  Zeno  himself  and  the  other  hv  Michel  Steno, 
who  was  afterwards  Doge.  I  hereupon  the  ( Jenoese 
immediatelv  sent  a  large  fleet  to  the  Last,  \emcc  sent 
more  reinforcements,  and  a  conflict  became  imminent. 
\irtor  1'isam  no\\  rook  charge  ot  the  \\hole  \enetian 
force,  \\ith  orders  ro  make  a  na\al  demonstration  before 
Constantinople;  hut  though  Zeno  acrualK  landed  \\ith 
soiiu-  of  his  men  In  means  of  ladders,  nothing  worth 
mentioning  was  accomplished  he\  oiul  the  reco\er\  ot 
a  Venetian  man-of-\\ar,  which  tin-  (Ireeks  had  sei/.ed 
on  hearing  of  the  oci'upation  ot  I  enedos.  I  hither  the 
rlec-t  no\\  returned,  and  three  gallevs  \\ere  left  under 
Zeno  to  protect  the  island. 


MII  CARLO   XKNO  j65 

Before  long  the  Genoese,  having  heard  of  the  de- 
parture of  the  main  body  of  the  Venetian  fleet,  sent 
t\\cntv-two  galleys  to  capture  the  object  ot  contention, 
/(.•no  had  only  three  hundred  regular  soldiers  and  a 
fair  body  of  archers,  and  the  (ienoese  proceeded  to 
hind  their  troops  in  great  numbers,  which  was  an  easv 
matter,  as  the  sea  was  absolutely  calm  and  motionless 
although  the  month  was  November.  Zeno  occupied 
the  suburbs  of  the  town,  and  the  castle  was  in  charge  ot 
Antonio  \  enier. 

rhe  fi^ht  that  followed  was  perhaps  the  first  ot  those 
heroic  deeds  ot  arms  which  shed  undying  lustre  on 
Carlo  /eno's  name.  1  he  enemv  had  scarcely  expected 
that  the  little  force  he  had  would  oppose  them;  but 
instead,  they  encountered  the  most  determined  resistance 
as  soon  as  thcv  approached  the  outlying  buildings  ot 
the  town;  thev  fought  some  time,  were  repulsed,  and 
retired  to  their  ships  at  dusk. 

On  the-  following  morning  thev  proceeded  to  land 
engines  ot  war  with  the  evident  intention  ot  laying 
regular  siege  to  the  town,  and  their  movements  soon 
showed  that  they  meant  to  attack  it  on  the  side  farthest 
from  rhe  castle,  /eno  hastened  to  dispose  a  detach- 
ment ot  his  men  in  ambush  in  a  number  of  half-ruined 
and  emprv  houses  that  stood  in  that  quarter,  \\ith 
his  remaining  torce  he-  retired  farther  in,  waited  until 
the  enemv  were  close  to  him,  and  then  charged  them 
furiously.  1  hcv  were  but  halt  prepared,  and  at  tin- 
same  instant  the  soldiers  he  had  placed  in  hidingattacked 
them  suddenlv  in  the  rear,  and  a  hum-  force  found 


GLFAXTXGS    FROM   HISTORY         xin 

itselt    completely  surrounded   bv  a    small   one  ot   which 
it  naturally  exaggerated  the  numbers. 

1  he  ( ienoese  were  at  first  slaughtered  like  sheep, 
tor  while  the  \  enctian  regular  soldiers  hewed  down 
the  outer  ranks,  the  bowmen  shot  their  arrows  into  the 
central  press  with  deadlv  effect;  but  rallying,  I  sup- 
pose, thev  broke-  through  the  thin  line  of  their  assailants, 
and  aiiam  retired  to  their  ships. 

/eno  was  badlv  wounded  in  the  calf  of  the  leg  bv 
an  infected  arrow,  no  uncommon  thing  in  those  days, 
when  arrows  were  drawn  from  the  bodies  of  the  dead 
alter  battle  and  were  used  a^ain  and  again.  A  '  poisoned 
arrow'  in  the  warfare  of  the  Middle  Ages  bv  no  means 
implied  that  the  enemv  had  dipped  the  barb  in  venom. 
As  usual,  /eno  paid  no  attention  to  such  a  trifle  as  a 
wound,  ami  when  the  enemv  returned  on  the  morrow 
thev  were  greeted  bv  terrific  discharges  of  artillerv 
from  the  cannon  which  he  had  moved  into  place  during 
their  absence,  and  thev  were  driven  off  with  such 
slaughter  that  thev  gave  up  the  enterprise,  and  sailed 
awav  on  tin-  next  dav.  Hut  in  this  last  affair  /eno 
had  been  twice  wounded  again,  in  tin-  hand  and  knee, 
and  was  so  exhausted  that  he  fell  into  spasms  followed 
bv  s\  ncope,  like  a  man  dvin^.  His  grandson  tells 
us,  o  iscurelv  enough,  that  he  must  ha\e  died  indeed 
but  for  the  assistance  ol  a  Gallo-Greek  surgeon,  whose 
no\el  mode  of  treatment  consisted  in  burning  the  sound 
knee  in  order  to  draw  health  into  the  injured  one.  It 
is  slight  v  more  probable  that  /eno's  iron  constitu- 
tion had  something  to  do  with  the  cure.  I  he  weather 


xni  CARLO   ZKNO  367 

became  cold,  and  winter  set  in  soon  afterwards,  and  he 
returned  to  \  enice  covered  with  glory. 

He  deserved  the  praise  that  \vas  freely  given  to  him, 
tor  he  had  beaten  a  fleet  and  an  army  by  sheer  genius 
and  courage  with  a  handful  of  men  and  three  ships, 
and  had  preserved  to  \  enice  the  valuable  island  which 
tuiards  the  entrance  to  the  Dardanelles.  1  he  hatred 

fi 

and  nvalrv  between  the  two  republics  were  of  too  long 
standing  to  be  much  embittered  by  his  victory;  but  his 
success  certainly  helped  in  some  degree  to  precipitate 
the  final  struggle. 

1  have  sometimes  thought  that  the  behaviour  of 
\  enice  to  her  most  distinguished  generals  and  states- 
men mav  be  compared  with  that  of  sea-captains  who 
ha\e  a  brave  but  unruly  crew  to  deal  with,  and  who 
alternately  'keep  the  men  busv'  and  clap  the  roughest 
hands  in  irons  in  order  to  impose  respect  upon  the 
rest;  and  at  times,  it  mav  be  said  without  levitv,  that 
the  conduct  of  the  government  was  like  that  of  an 
unpopular  and  cowardly  schoolmaster,  who  is  a  little 
nervous  about  his  personal  safetv,  and  loses  his  nerve 
in  matters  of  reward  and  punishment. 

On  the  whole,  \  enice  would  have  preferred  that  her 
battles  should  be  won  for  her  bv  paid  condottieri ;  but 
when  one  ol  her  own  sons  insisted  on  being  a  hero, 
something  had  to  be  done-  at  once-  lest  he  should  u_et 
into  mischief.  It  there  was  no  reasonable  ground  tor 
imprisoning  him,  as  Vittor  Pisani  was  imprisoned,  and 
as  Carlo  7>eno  \\as  himself  imprisoned  at  a  later  date, 
he  must  be  'kept  busy/  On  this  occasion  Carlo  had 


hardh  reached  \emce  when  In-  \v;is  appointed  to  the 
important  posr  ot  military  <M>\ernor  in  Negroponte, 
In-in^  ;it  that  time  little-  more  than  thirrv  vears  ot  a  sic-. 
I  In  time  which  intervened  between  the  date  ot  this 
appointment  and  the  sie^e  ot  Cluog^ia  \\as  spc-nt  hv 
him  chu-tl\  in  hghting  tile  Cienoese  at  sea,  \\ith  almost 
umarvniii  success,  and  some'  ot  his  exploits  will  he 
referred  to  hereafter  in  their  proper  places.  It  would 
In-  impossible  to  narrate  them  all  in  am  space  less  than 
a  volume,  and  have  here'  told  enough,  it  is  to  he 
hoped,  to  <n\e  the-  reader  an  idea  ot  what  his  vonth  had 
been  before  rhe  fortunes  of  war  offered  larger  opjior- 
tnnitU'S  to  his  oymus  and  patriotism. 


'I'HK   \\".\R    OF    CII!()(X;i.\ 


'liii:  lonjj;  nvalrv  ot  \i-nict-  and  (icnoa  has  hc't-n  sut- 
ficiently  explained,  and  h'ecjuently  alluded  to  in  the 
previous  jia^c-s.  1  <>  <M\C  a  connected  account  ot 
tht.-  almost  constant  warfare  wa<jvd  between  tin-  two 
republics  in  Kastern  and  Mediterranean  \\aters,  from 
the-  St-a  of  A/OY  to  C"apc'  C'orso,  is  bcvond  the  scope  and 
limits  of  the  present  \\ork;  tor  m  order  to  understand 
the  nature  ot  the  last  tremendous  struck-  that  took 
place  at  Chioggia,  almost  %\'ithm  si^lit  ot  \  emcc-.  it 
is  onl\  necessarv  to  recapitulate  hru-ri\  those  e\'ents 

\  'Hi..    I.  --  J  V.  ](»> 


-o  (il, I.. \M.\CS    FROM    HISTORY          \iv 

\\hich,  during,  rlu-  latter  half  ot"  the-  fourteenth  centurv, 
led  dnvctlv  to  tin-  crisis  ;i  (.TIMS  after  which  the 
vanquished  amM'essor  retreated,  definitely  beaten  and 
t<  >r  e\  er  humiliated. 

Ar  the  outset  I  shall  inform  mv  readers  that  I  ha\e 
preferred  the  aeeoimt  gixcn  In  Roniamn  to  that  ot  the 
more-  romantic  Darn;  tor  the  latter  evidently  followed 
the  older  historian  Sahellico,  e\  en  into  tin-  regions  ot 
the  fabulous,  whereas  Romamn  writes  largely  upon  the 
authont\'  ot  Caroldo  and  of  Stella,  the  latter  a  (  Jeiioese 
whose  aeeoimt  ot  his  eountr\'men\s  disaster  is  abo\e 
siispieK  m. 

In  the  vear  I  ^'4v  :|  powerful  I  arrar  chief  named 
/.am  Hesj;  harbaroush'  murdered  certain  Venetian  and 
,  ,-  ( lenoese  mc-rehants  established  m  the 

Crimea.  I'or  a  short  time  this  outrage1 
united  the  t\\o  republics  m  a  eommon  desire  lor  rc- 
\'eiiLii',  and  thev  signed  a  rrt-at\  b\  \\hieh  the\  mutualb' 
agreed  to  suspend  all  commercial  relations  with  the 
C'nmca  to  '  bo\'cott  the  peninsula,  as  we  should 
sav.  1  his  \\as  perhaps  their  onlv  possible  means  of 
punishing  /am  l>r^  tor  his  \\anton  erueltv,  since  it 
IN  idle  to  suppose  that  t\\'o  maritime  nations  could  or 
u'oiild  ha\t  carried  war  against  ;i  barbarian  horde  into 
the  interior  <>t  such  a  cotmtrv  as  the  Crimea. 

llur  rhe  agreemc-nt  had  not  been  made  \\ith  an\~ 
sincere  purpose,  and  betore  long  the  merchants  i>t  the 
t\\o  countries  secrctlv  resumed  the  rr;ule,  i-acli  ti"\iiiLi 
to  oiituit  rhe  other.  I  he  result  could  not  be  doubtful; 
in  I  r  the  (ienoese  sei/cd  se\'eral  \  eiu-tian  slns  \\ith 


xiv  THE   WAR   OF   CHIOGGIA  371 

rich  cargoes  on  the  coast  of  Svria,  and  war  broke  out 
between  the  republics. 

The  first  two  engagements,  of}  Negroponte  and  on 
the  Bosphorus,  were  disastrous  to  the  \  enetians,  but 
the  third,  which  took  place  off  Lojera  on  the  coast  of 
Sardinia,  resulted  in  an  important  victor}'  for  them; 
and  the  honour  of  the  standard  of  Saint  Mark  would 
have  been  redeemed  if  Niccolo  Pisam,  the  \  enetian  ad- 
miral, had  not  caused  nearlv  five  thousand 

....  Rom.  tn.  /6<;. 

prisoners  of  war  to  be  drowned,  a  barbarity 
which  accords  ill  with  the  man's  real  courage,  and  would 
be  incredible  if  it  were  not  proved  bevond  the  possibility 
of  contradiction. 

It  was  after  this  defeat  that  the  Genoese  Republic 
placed  itself  in  the  hands  of  Giovanni  \  isconti.  Arch- 
bishop of  Milan,  the  strongest  of  the  Lombard  princes. 
I  his  extraordinary  act  was  prompted  solelv  by  the 
desire  of  immediate  revenge  upon  the  \  enetians,  and 
\  isconti  was  not  slow  to  lend  the  required  means  for 
continuing  the  war,  though  he  was  cautious  with  regard 
to  actual  hostilities,  and  attempted  a  reconciliation 
bv  sending  Petrarch  as  ambassador  to  Venice.  The 
negotiations  failed,  however,  and  each  republic  sent 
out  a  new  fleet;  with  extraordinary  daring.  Dona,  the 
Genoese  admiral,  sailed  up  the  Adriatic  and  ravaged 
[stria  and  Paren/o,  threatening  Venice  itself,  but 
retiring  after  inspiring  something  verv  like'  a  panic. 
It  was  at  this  moment  that  the  Do^e  Andrea  Dandolo 
died,  and  that  Marino  Faliero  was  elected  to  succeed 
him. 


j-2         (ii, I:\M\CS  FROM  HISTORY      \i\ 

On    his    side-,    Pisani,    the    \enetian    commander,  at- 
tempted   no    such    undertaking.      Deceived,   doubtless, 

h\  Dona's  cle\er  manoeuvres,  lie  sought  him  in  the 
Archipelago,  and  thither  Dona  sailed,  after  his  exploits 
in  the  .Adriatic.  I  he  hostile  Meets  met  oil  Motion, 
opposite  Sapien/.a,  and  the  engagement  resulted  in  the 


total  defeat  ol  the  \enetians.  Xiccolo  1'isani  himself, 
six  thousand  other  pnsonei's,  and  tlurt\'  ^alle\s  of  \\ar 
\\ere  carried  oil  In  Dona  to  (  Jeiioa  ;  ami  it  has  heen 
liistK  said  that  had  he  placed  his  prisoners  in  satetv, 
manned  his  pn/es,  and  sailed  \\ith  them  to  \emce,  the 
eir\-  must  have  fallen  an  easv  pi'e\~  to  Ins  attack. 


THK   WAR    OF    CHIOGGIA 


373 


1>\  this  disaster  Venice  was  reel  need  to  great  straits, 
and  while  private  citr/ens  equipped  men-of-war  at  their 
own  cost,  to  help  the  country,  the  Republic  appealed 
to  Giovanni  \isconti  and  obtained  a  tour  months' 


truce. 


1  he  battle  ot  Modon,  or  Sapien/a,  was  fought  on 
the  third  ot  November  1^54;  the  truce  was  obtained 
soon  afterwards,  and  on  the  sixteenth  ot  -April  IJ55 
Marino  Faliero  was  beheaded  tor  treason. 


mmmw, 


More  than  t\\ent\'  \rears  had  elapsed  and  another 
and  \ounger  Pisani  had  reached  matunt\'  and  eminence 
before  the  t\\o  republics  again  resumed  the  contest  tor 
the  masterv  ot  the  sea.  It  would  not,  I  think,  be 
possible  to  accuse  either  ot  having  been  at  am  time 
more  a^gressix 'e  than  the  other  had  been,  or  was, 
without  unfairness.  I  he-re  was  an  element  of  fate  in 
the  struggle;  it  was  tin-  inevitable  contest  for  final 
superiority  which  takes  place  whenever  two  individuals, 


-4          GLKAMXGS    FROM    HISTORY          xiv 

or  two  boilies  of  men,  or  two  nations,  are  pitted  against 
each  other  in  the-  same  pursuit  under  the  same  cir- 
cumstances. I  he  disastrous  wars  with  Lewis  ot  Ilun- 
i^arv  tor  the  possession  ot  Dalmatia,  in  which  \  enice 
became-  involved  after  the  death  ot  Faliero,  the  re- 
peated revolts  in  Candia,  and  above  all,  the  ravages 
ot  the  plague,  reduced  the  population  and  the  wealth 
ot  \  enice  until,  at  last,  she  seemed  an  easy  prev. 
Most  assuredly  the  neutral  powers  that  calmly  watched 
the  approach  ot  the  war  which  broke  out  in  I  ^~S  did 
not  believe  that  \  enice  could  come  out  ot  the  trial 
still  keeping  her  independence. 

On    the    morning   ot    the    twenty-second    ot    April    in 

that   vear,    a    vast    multitude   thronged    the   square    and 

the-  basilica  of  Saint  Mark's.      \  irtor  I'isan, 

was  to  receive  his  commission  as  comman- 

der-m-chiet  ot  the  fleet  at  the-  steps  of  the  hi^h  altar,  to 

hear  the  solemn   high   mass,   and   then,   kneeling  before 

Andrea    Contanni,    he    was    to    take    from    the    Doge's 

hands    the-    <M'cat    standard    ot"  the    Republic. 

I  he  chief  ot  the  Republic  spoke  to  him  brief!  v  in 
tones  that  ran^  through  the  hushed  cathedral.  '  ^  ou 
are  chosen  In  God.  he  said,  'to  defend  the  honour 
and  the  possessions  of  vour  country,  and  a\eii<u- 
the  offences  of  those  \\lio  \\ould  destroy  the  freedom 
which  our  fathers  <^a\e  us.  Into  vour  haiul  we  com- 
mend the  Hai;  that  has  ever  been  the  terror  of  our 
enemies;  see  that  vou  briny;  it  back  \ictorious  and 
unstained.' 

\ittor    1'isani    sailed    out    of    tin-    harbour    \\irh    onlv 


xiv  THE   WAR   OF   CHIOGGIA 


.5/3 


fourteen    vessels,   intending  to  thwart   any   attempt  on 
the   nart  of  Fieschi,  the  Genoese  admiral, 

i          \    i    •      •  l>  l         f-  Koiit.iii.36j, 

to  enter  the  Adriatic,  nut  the  Uenoese 
were  still  far  away,  delayed  by  contrary  winds,  and 
Pisani  sailed  round  Italy  to  the  Roman  shore  before 
he  sighted  the  enemy's  Meet.  The  battle  that  followed 
was  fought  within  sight  of  An/io  on  the  thirtieth  of 
May  1378. 

In  a  heavy  south-westerly  gale,  which,  as  often 
happens  in  the  Mediterranean,  was  accompanied  bv 
terrific  thunderstorms,  the  \  enetians  bore  down  upon 
their  opponents.  Thev  evidently  had  the  advantage 
of  being  before  the  wind,  while  the  Genoese  must  have 
been  obliged  to  heave  to  in  order  to  hold  their  own, 
a  matter  of  no  small  difficulty  for  a  war  vessel  of  the 
fourteenth  centurv.  ^  et  in  spite  of  their  superior  posi- 
tion at  the  time  of  the  attack,  four  out  ol  the  fourteen 
\enetian  galleys  were  so  hopelessly  separated  from  the 
rest  as  to  In-  unable  to  ]om  in  the  fight.  Anv  seaman 
will  at  once  understand  that  thcv  must  have  run  past 
the  ( ienoesc  to  the  northward,  and  that  thev  were  then 
unable  to  beat  back  to  the  scene  of  action  before  night. 
( )n  the  other  hand,  one  of  the  Genoese  ships  got 
aground  on  the  dangerous  lee  shore  and  went  to  pieces. 

1  he  result  of  long  and  fierce  fighting  was  a  com- 
plete vicrorv  for  the  \  enetians.  I  hev  captured  five  of 
the  enemy's  galleys  and  took  1'ieschi  himself  prisoner. 
fie  must  have  bail  gloomy  forebodings  when  he  was 
taken,  remembering  how  I'isanfs  terrible  namesake 
had  drowned  five  thousand  prisoners  of  war  after 


(il.K  \M\r,S    FROM    HISTORY 


XIV 


tin    bank-  ot    I,o]rra,   or  Caglian.      And   tin-   Venetian 
admiral    doubtless    remembered    and    hoped    to    atone- 


xiv  TF1F   WAR    OF    CHI()(;r,IA  ,,77 

Venice  thev  were  not  confined  in  the  prisons,  hut 
were  nierelv  shut  up  and  guarded  in  vast  warehouses, 
where  they  had  plentv  of  air  and  were  abundant!) 
provided  with  necessaries.  A  committee  ot  noble- 
mcn  was  deputed  to  take  care  ot  them,  and  to  see 
that  thev  lacked  nothing.  1  he  ladies  ot  \  enice  also 
organised  themselves  in  a  sort  ot  sisterhood,  tor  the 
purpose  ot  ministering  to  the  not  over-great  sufferings 
ot  the  vanquished,  and  the  noblest  names  ot  the  Re- 
public stand  on  the  list  of  those  charitable  women. 
Anna  Faher,  Francesca  Bragadin,  Margherita  Michiel, 
Marchesina  oembo,  and  several  others  are  especially 
mentioned  bv  the  historians  as  'angels  ot  goodness 
and  devotion.'  .-Ml  \emce  sought  to  be  forgiven  bv 
Furope  tor  the-  horrors  of  Lojera. 

Pisam  had  been  tar  too  prudent  to  push  on  to  (jenoa 
with  a  Meet  which  onlv  counted  nineteen  sail,  includ- 
ing his  five,  pn/es,  and  he-  deemed  it  wiser  to  return 
to  the-  Adriatic  and  to  harass  the  (ienoese  on  the  coast 
ot  (ireece  and  Dalmatia,  whence-,  under  the  prote-c- 
tion  of  the  King  ot  Hungary,  they  constantly  made 
piratical  excursions  against  the  \  enetian  merchantmen. 

.After    raking    possession     ot     several     strong    place's, 
Pisam  asked  permission  to  re-turn  to  Venice  in  order  to 
rest  his  men  and  refit  while-  waiting  for  the 
spring,    but     the-    Senate-    ordere-el     him     to 
continue'    cruising    off    I  stria    in    case    the 
Genoese    should     unexpectedly    e-nter    the- 

l\\'»/.  iii.  .">,-. 

Adriatic.       I  here-  is  no  doubt  but  that  this 

measure  was  prudent  in  itself,  but,  on  the-  othe-r  hand. 


-X          r.LKANINGS    FROM    HISTORY          xiv 

Pisam's  fleet  was  altogether  in  too  bad  a  state  to  keep 
ar  sea  through  the  winter,  and  in  a  more  or  less  hostile 
neighbourhood.  A  sickness  ot  some  kind,  not  ex- 
plained bv  the  chroniclers,  decimated  the  crews  of  his 
gallevs,  and  he  seems  to  have  lacked  suitable  and 
sufficient  provisions,  as  well  as  stores  tor  repairing 
his  rigiMng  and  sails,  lie  obeyed  the-  Senate's  orders, 
however,  and  he  made-  his  headquarters  at  I'ola 

In  February  he  was  informed  that  he  was  confirmed 
in  his  charge  ot  admiral  ot  the  fleet,  but  at  the-  same  time 
the  Senate  appointed  him  two  advisers,  or  counsellors, 
following  the-  true-  \  enetian  method  of  watching,  and 
otten  hampering,  the  commander  in  the  prosecution  of 
the  war  I  hese  '  provveditori,'  as  thcv  were  called, 
were  the-  famous  Carlo  /eiio  and  a  certain  Michel 
Steno  whether  the  one-  who  had  precipitated  tin-  con- 
spiracv  ot  Marino  Kahero  tweiitv-tour  years  earlier  or 
not  does  not  appear  certain.  At  all  events,  he  reached 
his  post  and  remained  with  Pisam,  but  /eno  did  not. 

Later  in  the  spring  Pisam  received  a  reinforcement 
ot  eleven  galleys,  sent  him  in  order  that  he  nn<dit  be 
abK-  to  protect  the  \  enctian  vessels  that  regularly  plied 
between  \  enice  and  Apulia  to  suppK'  the  Republic 
\\  ith  c<  >m. 

\\hiK-  he  \\as  comovm^  a  number  ot  these  vessels, 
a  storm  forced  two  of  his  ^allevs  to  take  shelter  m 
Ancona,  where  thev  were  sei/ed  1>\  the  Cienoese;  but 
a  few  davs  later  I'isani  encountered  the  latter,  beat 
rlu  in  in  a  short  cnj^a^ement,  and  recaptured  his  ships. 
Scarcely  had  he-  uot  to  anchor  in  tin  harbour  ot  l}ola, 


xiv  THL  WAR    OF    CH1OGG1A  379 

however,  when  twenty-five  (Genoese  men-of-war  hove  in 
sight,  under  the  command  of  Luciano  Dona.  Pisam 
could  not  reasonably  hope  to  right  such  a  Meet  with  anv 
chance  of  victory,  and  would  have  preferred  to  await 
the  arrival  of  his  reinforcements  under  Carlo  /eno, 
who  was  expected  in  a  tew  davs;  hut  his  officers 
clamoured  for  battle,  and  Michel  Steno,  the  provveditor, 
even  went  so  tar  as  to  hint  that  Pisani  was  a  coward  to 
stav  in  port.  1  his  was  more  than  the  admiral  could 
hear,  though  he  was  the  mildest  and  most  long-suffering 
of  brave  men;  and  in  the  shortest  possible  time  he  got 
his  fleet  under  way,  calling  upon  all  who  loved  Saint 
Mark  to  follow  him. 

1  know  not  whether  the  wind  gave  him  anv  advan- 
tage at  first,  as  at  An/io,  or  whether  the  brilliant  little 
victorv  he  won  was  due  to  the  turv  ot  his  attack.  Be 
that  as  it  mav,  he  slew,  or  helped  to  slav,  Luciano 
Dona  with  his  own  hands,  and  put  the  imposing 
( Genoese  fleet  to  flight. 

Hut  the  enemv,  in  the-  absence  ot  pursuit,  soon 
rallied,  and  in  a  tew  hours  inflicted  upon  Pisani  a  mo.st 
disastrous  defeat.  He  himself  barelv  escaped  with  six 
i^allevs  out  ot  the  nineteen  or  twentv  that  had  composed 
his  force.  Poor  in  ships,  as  \  emce  was  at  that  time, 
this  was  a  blow  that  threatened  her  existence;  tor  the 
( Genoese  now  had  nearly  tortv  vessels,  including  the 
pn/es  recently  taken,  some  ot  which  were  perhaps 
the  verv  gallevs  the\'  had  lost  to  Pisani  at  An/io. 

How  tar  Pisam's  misfortune  was  the-  result  of  the 
unwise  advice  he  was  obliged  to  submit  to  from  Michel 


>So          GLKAMXGS    FROM    HISTORY          xiv 

Steno,  ir  is  nor  easy  to  say;  but  he  was  certainly  badly 
handicapped  hv  rhe  non-arrival  of  his  other  appointed 
counsellor.  Carlo  /eno,  with  the  promised  reinforce- 
ments. 1  he  Senate'  took  neither  the  one  question  nor 
the  other  into  consideration,  anv  more  than  it  showed 
the  slightest  grateful  recollection  of  his  many  former 
sen'ices  to  the  Republic.  lie  was  hastily  tried,  con- 
victed of  having  failed  to  do  his  dutv,  and  sentenced 

to  six  months'  imprisonment,  with  the  loss, 
i\\>»i.  in.  y>.v 

during    five    years,    of    all    emoluments    he 

received  from  the  State  and  of  all  puhhc  office'  for  the 
same  period.  \  emce  always  acted  on  the  principle  that 
no  amount  of  success  could  condone  one  failure-,  and 
that  defeat  was  next  door  to  treason.  Michel  Steno 
fared  somewhat  better,  for  he  was  not  actually  im- 
prisoned, but  he  and  all  the  officers  of  the  fleet  were 
suspended  from  all  public  functions  for  a  vear. 

I  hese  drastic  measures  did  not  improve  the  position 
of  the  Republic  in  that  time  of  immediate  danger.  It 
was  easv  to  consign  \  ittor  Pisani  to  the  po/./i,  but  it 
was  (jiute  another  matter  to  replace  him,  especially  in 
the  absence  of  Carlo  /eno,  the  onl\  other  man  of  the 
.same  calibre  upon  whom  \cmce  could  count. 

1'ietro  Dona  bad  taken  the  place  of  Luciano,  whom 
1'isam  had  killed  in  battle,  and  he  worked  his  wav 
steadih'  up  the  eastern  coa>t,  retaking  one  by  one  all 
the  fortified  places  which  Pisani  bad  recently  ser/ed, 
until  at  last  his  fleet  appeared  oil  tin-  Lido,  literally 
\\  ithin  slight  of  \  emce. 

1  he  constc-rnation  was  indescribable,  and   it  is  more 


xiv  TI1K    WAR    OF    CHIOCGIA  ^Si 

rhan  likelv  that  it  Pietro  Dona  had  boldlv  forced  the 
entrance  to  the  lagoons,  the  citv  would  have  fallen 
an  easv  prev.  Indeed,  the  situation  of  the  Republic 
seemed  even  then  almost  desperate,  tor  while  she  was 
beaten  at  sea  and  assailed  bv  the  Genoese  fleet,  the 
Carrara  had  leagued  themselves  against  her  \\ith  the 
King  of  Hungary,  and  threatened  her  land  boundaries 
on  the  north  and  west. 

But  it  alwavs  happens  in  the  history  of  nations, 
as  it  generally  does  in  the  private  lives  of  individual 
men.  that  the  last  extremitv  of  danger  calls  forth  the 
true  character  of  peoples,  as  of  persons.  It  is  then  that 
the-  hero  is  a  hero;  it  is  then  that  the  coward  performs 
miracles  of  speed  in  flight. 

\  enice  called  out  everv  man  able  to  bear  arms.  A 
patrician,  Leonardo  Dandolo,  was  entrusted  with  the 
defence  of  the  Lido;  two  others  were  charged  with 
the  protection  of  the'  basilica  of  Saint  Mark's  and  the 
adjoining  square;  another  was  made  responsible  tor  the 
quarter  of  the  Rialto;  and  others  again  were  told  oft' 
to  defend  the  outlying  islands,  I  orcello,  Murano,  and 
Ma/./orbo.  Finally,  [acopo  Cavalh,  a  foreign  captain, 
was  promised  a  verv  lar^c  recompense  it  he  could 
perform  the  almost  impossible  teat  of  defending  the' 
\  enetian  territory  on  the  mainland  with  tour  thousand 
horse,  two  thousand  footmen,  and  a  not  inconsiderable 
number  of  bo\\  men. 

1  he1  monastery  of  Saint  Nicholas  on  the  Lido  was 
converted  into  a  regular  fortress.  1  hree  hu<u-  hulks, 
which  I  con  lecture  to  have  been  old  transports  from 


CI.LAMMiS    FROM    HISTORY          xiv 


o'  - 


flu-    davs    ot    the    crusades,    were    lashed    together   with 

triple  chains,   and  sunk   at  the  entrance  to 

the    lagoons.      As    tar    as    possible    all    the 

male  inhabitants  of   the  citv  were  armed,  and  were  so 

organised   as   to   be    readv   to   tight   whenever  the   great 

bell  ot  Saint  Mark's  should  give  the  signal. 

Meanwhile  ambassadors  were  sent  one  after  the 
orhcr,  and  in  haste,  to  the  court  ot  Hungary  in  the 
hope  ot  detaching  the  King  from  his  alliance1  with  the 
lords  ot  Padua,  bur  thev  utterlv  failed  to  bring  about 
rhe  desired  result;  tor  both  the-  Carrara  and  the 
( lenoese  spread  abroad  in  Hilda  the  report,  bv  no 
means  exaggerated,  that  \emce  was  at  the  last  ex- 
tremitv,  and  must  soon  vield  to  her  allied  enemies; 
and  the  Km<j;,  trusting  to  this  welcome  news,  answered 
tin-  \  enetian  ambassadors  with  such  arrogance  that 
thev  had  no  choice-  but  to  take  their  leave. 

1  he   (  ienoese   Meet   lav    at   anchor  oH    the    Lido,    and 

the-  onlv   chance  of   safetv   seemed   to   he  in   attacking  it 

boldlv,    for   as   vet   it   consisted   of    no   verv 

large  number  ot  vessels.    Six  good  \enetian 

.ships  of  war,  manned   bv  picked   men,  would   no  doubt 

suffice,   and   these  could   still   be   produced.        I  hev  were 

placed  under  rlu   command  of    I  addeo  (  Iiustimam,  and 

t"he\    sailed   out   through    the   narrow   channel    that    had 

been   left  na  \  igable. 

\n\\  it  chanced  that  on  board  of  one  of  the  (ienoese 
gallevi  there  was  a  certain  man,  a  Venetian  sailor,  who 
had  been  taken  prisoner  \\ith  the  iiallev  commanded  bv 
(  ii  >\anm  Soran/o  wlu-n  \ittor  Pisani  was  defeated; 


XIV 


THK   WAR   OF 


38. 


and  ho  was  brave  and  loved  his  countrv,  bur  his  name 
has  not  come  down  to  us.  \\  hen  he  saw  the  \  enetian 
ships  making  reach',  inside  the  Lido,  he  managed  to 
drop  himself  overboard,  and  he  swam  for  his  life 
towards  the  entrance;  and  as  Giustiniani  sailed  out  he 


sir^f"        i  "ffTft^pffiiyv 


sa\\-  this  man  ahead  s\\immm^,  and  making  desperate 
signals  to  the  \  enetians  to  brm^  to. 

1  he  commander  recognised  him  as  a  \enetian  either 
b\'  his  apjH-arance  or  b\"  his  language,  laid  his  topsail 
to  the  mast  and  took  him  aboard,  to  learn  that  the 


^S4          GLEANINGS    FROM    HISTORY          xiv 

Genoese  \esscls  before  him  were  bur  flu-  vanguard  of  a 
IHIIK-  rii.-t.-r  which  was  itself  ar  hand,  and  would  soon  be 
in  siohr.  1  o  engage  \\'as  now  our  of  rlu-  question, 
and  could  onl\'  end  in  the-  toral  loss  ot  rlu-  six  \  enetian 
vessels;  ( iiustmiani  pur  about  and  re-entered  riu-  la- 
goons, r<>  take  rlu-  bad  news  ro  \emce. 

I  he  tirsr  fault  committed  In'  the  Genoese  was  that, 
having  surprised  rhe  cirv,  thc-\'  did  nor  profit  In'  their 
advantage  and  storm  ir  ar  once-,  ar  a  moment  when  ar 
least  halt  the  population  must  have  been  paralysed  with 
tear.  Instead,  rhev  seem  ro  have  followed  a  consisrenr 
bur  mistaken  plan;  for  they  pillaged  and  laid  waste  the 
outlying  islands  one  In'  one-  \\irh  rhe  e\  ulenr  mtenrion  of 
destroying  rhe  city's  supplies,  and  of  ultimately  cutting 
of}  all  communication  between  ir  and  the  mainland. 

In  the  course-  of  this  more-  or  less  svstcmatic  opera- 
rion  tlu-\'  I'ame  before  Malamocco  on  the  sixrh  of 
\umisr  I  $~()(  bur  here  the\'  met  \\irh  a  hrsr  check,  for 
rhev  perceived  rhar  rhe  place  \\as  too  srronu]\  fortified 
ro  be  rashlv  attackc-d,  and  rhev  therefore  sailed  past  it 
towards  Chioggia,  \\inch  \\as,  and  is,  the  most  mi- 
jiorranr  sri'are<Mc  poun  of  rhe  lagoons. 

Chioggia  is  close  ro  rhe  mainland,  ar  rhe  we^ern 
e\rremir\'  of  rhe  \enetian  archipelago.  I  lie  name 
beloniis  vamieK',  in  oKl  maps,  to  rhe  long  island  prnperlv 
called  Hrondolo,  on  rhe  \\esti-rn  end  of  \\hich  is  built 
rlu  town  of  Brondolo;  more  particularly  ro  rhe  I'orr, 
or  enri'ance  between  tins  island  and  the  one  called 
I'alestrma,  between  which  rwo  rhe  'l.upa/  rhe  lower 
ot  tin  xli(-\\olt,  rises  out  ot  the  water;  and  especially 


XIV 


THE   WAR    OF    CHIOCXHA 


to  tin-   small   cirv  of   Chioggia.       1  he   latter  is   divided 
into    two    parts        the    greater    Chioggia,    built    on    a 


numln-r  of  \'er\-  small  islets,  and  tin-  lesser,  which 
stands  on  the  inside  shore  of"  the  main  island.  I  here 
\\as  a  bridge  between  the  two  parts. 


}Sn          GLEANINGS    FROM   HISTORY          xiv 

I  he  entrance-  to  the-  port  ot  Chioggja  being  eK-e-p  and 
sate,  rlu-  \  e-ne-tians  had  deepened  also  a  natural  channel, 
twenty-five  miles  long,  which  led  the- net. •  through  the 
shallow  lagoons  to  Venice,  and  this  was  one  ot  the  best 
and  safest  approaches  to  the  cm  from  the  outer  sea,  a 
tact  which  was  well  known  to  the  Genoese,  who  looked 
upon  -Chioggia  as  the  real  kev  to  the  capital,  and  tin- 
name  ot  the  place-  has  been  given  hv  all  historians 
to  the  war  that  followed.  It  is  almost  needless  to  sav 
that  the-  extreme-  shallowness  ot  the  lagoons  was  a  real 
defence  against  an  encmv  not  well  acquainted  with  tin- 
channels,  which,  as  evcrv  one  knows,  are  marked  bv 
tall  timbers  that  project  from  six  to  fifteen  feet  above 
the  water.  lo  remove  these  was  a  first  measure'  of 
defence. 

1  he-   most   tremendous    exertions  were    made-    bv    the- 

\  e-ne-tians   to   pre-pare   themselves   for   an  attack.  which 

would   almost  certainly   have  bee-n   fatal   to  tln-m   it   the 

(  le-noese-   had   not  |nit  it  off   too   long.      Reinforcements 

\\x-re-  at  one;-  se-nt  down  to  Pietro  I'.mo,  the- 

I'odesta  ot  Chioggia,  who  anchored  a  large 

armed    hulk    in    the   channel,    manning   it    \\ith    soldiers 

and  supplying  it  \\ith  provisions  to  last  some  time. 

I  In-  lesser  Chioggia,  on  the-  shore  of  the  island,  was 
abandoned  as  not  defensible,  but  the'  mam  to\\  n  \\as 
verv  effectually  fortified,  and  each  little  islet  became  a 
separate  stronghold.  On  tin-  side  ot  the  allies  Carrara 
succeeded  \\ith  L^reat  difficulty  in  convevmg  a  consider- 
able' force  of  men  fn>m  Padua  down  the  old  branch 
of  the  Ilivnta,  which  the-  \enetians  had  obstructed  hv 


xiv  THE   WAR    OF    CHIOGGIA  387 

sinking  a  hulk  across  it.  Carrara  is  said  to  have  dug  a 
v'hannel  round  this  point  in  a  single  night.  1  he  allies 
had  now  ahout  twentv-tour  thousand  fighting  men. 

Pisani  had  been  beaten  at  Pola  in  May;  it  was 
on  the  sixth  of  August  that  the  Genoese  reconnoitred 
Malamocco  and  anchored  oft  Chioggia  harbour,  and 
tlu-ir  attack  upon  Chioggia  itself  began  on  the  eleventh. 
( )n  that  dav  the  armed  hulk  which  Kmo  had  moored 
in  the  channel  was  captured  and  burned,  and  the 
Genoese  Meet  was  able  to  enter  the  port  and  lie  before 
the  besieged  town,  while  Carrara  and  the  Paduans  as- 
sailed it  from  the  side  ot  the  lagoons  in  their  light 
boats.  Kverv  dav  the  united  forces  renewed  their 
arrack,  and  hour  by  hour  they  won  their  way  into  the 
strong  little  place,  taking  the  bridges  and  fortifications 
one  after  another.  By  the  fifteenth  of  the  month,  the 
bridge  to  Brondolo  having  been  taken,  it  was  clear  to 
the  \  cnetian.s  that  Chioggia  was  lost,  and  Dandolo  con- 
sidered how  he-  might  withdraw  his  force  to  Venice.  It 
seemed  only  too  certain  that  every  man  who  could  be 
saved  alive  would  be  needed  for  the  defence  of  the 
capital,  and  it  was  still  possible  to  escape  across  the 
shallows,  where  the  Genoese  could  not  follow  in  their 
ships  and  the  Paduans  did  not  know  their  way.  1  he 
carnage  had  already  been  frightful.  It  is  said  that 
six  thousand  \  enetians  were  slain,  and  that  three 
thousand  and  five  hundred  were  taken  prisoners. 
Dandolo  saved  a  large  number  in  his  re- 
treat; but  the  heroic  Pietro  Kmo  refused 
to  leave  the  town,  and  remained  with  fifty  devoted 


>S,^  GLKAXIXGS    FROM    HISTORY          xiv 

nun  to  rudir  ro  rhe  verv  death  \virhin  his  own  palace 
\\all.s.  I  In-  town  was  sacked  forthwith,  and  nuicli 
ot  ir  was  burned;  over  what  was  left  the  standards 
ot  (Jenoa,  ot  Carrara,  and  ot  Hungary  were  displayed 
\\here  the  banners  ot  Saint  Mark  had  Moated  tor  cen- 
turies, until  that  bloodv  dav. 

Chioggia  tell  as  the  sun  went  down,  and  the  news 
reached  \  enice  late  that  night.  1  he  citv  was  all  awake 
and  in  desperate  anxietv,  and  when  the  truth  was  known, 
tear  turned  almost  to  panic.  Women  rushed  frantically 
to  the-  churches  to  confess  and  receive  the  sacraments, 
as  it  the-  Last  Judgment  of  God  were  upon  them.  1  he 
men  were  at  first  silent,  paralysed  in  absolute  conster- 
nation; since  Chioggia  was  gone,  the  Genoese  might  be 
upon  \  enice  bv  morning. 

But  again  they  let  the  opportunity  pass,  and  the 
\  enetians  were  vouchsafed  a  breathing  space,  which 
illicit  see-in  but  enough  to  show  them  how  desperate 
tlu-ir  situation  really  was.  ror  I  reviso  was  already 
besieged  b\'  Carrara's  troops  when  Chioggia  tell,  and 
the-  alhc-s  were  closing  in  upon  the  citv  like-  a  wall  ot 
inm. 

I  he  l)oo;e  Contanm  displayed  a  coolness  and  a 
emirate  altogether  heroic.  1  he  Republic  had  oppressed 
its  chief  bv  an  intolerable  system  ot  spying  and  petty 
limitations  ihat  reduced  his  personality  to  a  noneii- 
nt\-  in  ordinar\-  times.  It  had  forbidden  him  almost 
everything;  but  it  hail  not  forbidden  him  to  die  for 
In-  country.  1  he  example  ot  one  man  could  still  re- 
vive  the  courage  and  sustain  the  calm  ot  thousands. 


XIV 


THE   WAR   OF   CHIOGGIA 


Venice  was  not  lost,  so  long  as  that  one  true  citi/en 
remained  alive. 


w-^iiiiiWfel'^i*  — <• 

.,  ^,VL,v:.v;.Jn»"^'"^/n«'rs^^llt^^t?"^.^g!57?;'.  «  -..--H-i-^-o 


£l> 

"Uj,  i 


The  Doo;e  and  the  Senators  ^a\c'  all  their  o\\-n 
treasure  to  the  public  fund,  and  imposed  regular  raxes 
on  the  citi/ens;  thev  distributed  the  supplies  of  arms 


3go       GLEANINGS  FROM  HISTORY       xn- 

\\irh  <M'eat  good  judgment,  and  sent  out  scouts  upon 
tin-  lagoons  in  tin-  lightest  and  swiftest  skiffs,  in  order 
that  no  movement  ot  the  enemv  should  escape  obscr- 
\  arion. 

Hut  the  people  murmured  against  the  government, 
e\  en  in  their  constant  terror;  tor  \ittor  Pisam  was 
their  idol,  and  In-  was  still  in  prison. 

It  mav  have  been  the  intention  ot  the  Genoese  and 
their  allies  to  starve  \  enice  to  a  surrender;  hut  1  think 
it  more-  hkelv  that  Dona's  procrastination  was  in  accord- 
ance with  his  o\\n  character,  and  that  it  was  in  part  due 
to  the  almost  inevitable  complications  which  arise-  \\herc 
military  command  is  not  vested  in  one  person,  hut  is 
shared  almost  equally  In'  a  number  ot  allied  captains. 

1  he  very  first  and  most  pressing  danger  was  past 
when  Contanni  called  a  general  assembly  ot  the  people, 
on  the  thirteenth  ot  September,  bv  causing  the  ureat 
bell  ot  Saint  Mark's  to  be-  run^.  It  was  lonu  since 
the  summons  had  been  heard,  and  the  population 
answered  it  eagerly.  1  he-  cathedral  was  soon  thronged 
to  suffocation  bv  men  of  all  ages  ami  conditions,  \\  ho 
listened  in  profound  silence-  to  the  eloquent  words  of' 
the  senator  Pu-rro  Mocenigo.  lie  spoke  from  ;i  hujh 
balcony  or  pulpit,  and  his  nn<nn<j;  voice  was  heard  in 
the  farthest  corners  ot  the  iM'eat  building. 

lie  told  liis  hearers  that  the  time  had  come  u  hen 
they  must  think  of  tin-  honour  ot  their  women,  the 
h\es  of  their  VOUIIL:  children,  and  the  safety  of  then 
uorldlv  Lioods  ;  he  said  that  \vhosoe\er  lacked  necessar\ 
food  tor  himself  and  his  family  need  only  ;isk  for  what 


xiv  THE    WAR    OF    CHIOGGIA  391 

he  needed  at  unv  patrician  house  -  he  should  be  treated 
as  a  tneiul,  as  a  brother,  the  last  crust  of  bread  should 
be  shaied  with  him.  '1  hat  was  all,  save  that  he  called 
upon  all  sensible  men  to  speak,  it  thev  had  any  advice 
to  give  which  would  be  for  the  public  good  and 
safety. 

1  he-  impression  made  by  this  simple  speech  was  pro- 
found, tor  the  people  owed  the  aristocracy  no  long- 
standing grudge  as  in  other  Italian  cities.  I  he  nobles 
had  neither  ground  them  down,  nor  tormented  them, 
nor  dishonoured  them,  but  had  onlv  taken  the  political 
power  and,  with  it,  the  responsibilities  of  government. 
In  the  wars  of  \  enice  the  nobles  had  shed  their  blood 
tor  their  countrv  much  more  abundantly,  m  proportion 
to  their  numbers,  than  the  people  themselves;  and  in 
peace,  their  suspicions,  their  spvmgs,  and  their  eternal 
repression  had  been  directed  against  each  other,  and 
never  against  the  poor  man.  And  now  thev  reaped 
their  reward  ;  they  stooped  to  call  the-  poor  man  brother, 
and  the  mere  words  flattered  him,  and  cheered  him,  and 
made  a  hero  ot  him.  Happy  \emce,  even  in  that  dire 
e.xtremitv  ! 

I  hen  manv  rose-  up  in  the  church  and  cried  out  that 
every  ship  in  the  arsenal  that  would  float  must  be 
manned  to  attack  the  enemv  rather  than  vield  to 
sta r\  ati< >n. 

Mocemgo,  the  orator,  being  satisfied  with  this  answer 
of  tin-  people,  went  on  to  the  <|iiestion  of  choosing 
a  leader,  and  proposed  1  addeo  ( iiustiniani ;  but  the 
multitude  would  none  of  him,  and  shouted  tor  \  ittot 


^t>  Cil.KAM.MiS    FROM    HISTORY  xn 

1'is.mi.      I  ndcr  him  rhev   would   \\m  or  die,  rhev  cried 
:is  one  man.  and  rlu-v  \\oul  I  ha\e  no  other. 

TII  resisr  such  a  demand  would  have  hei  n  madness, 
.iiul  tor  once  the  lorcllv  Sijmorv  howed  before  the 
plebeian  \\ill.  I  he  captain  \\as  forthwith  led  our  oi 
prison,  and  rhe  crowd,  tranrie  with  |o\  ar  his  release, 
carried  him  in  triumph  on  rheir  shoulders  round  the 
square  ot  Saint  Mark's. 

l.ono  h\c  \  irtor  I'isani  !'    rlu-\'  shouted. 

'  No,'  In-  cru-d,  ans\\ermn  them  m  commanding  rones. 
I  .iiiiu  h\  c  S;nnr  Mark  ' 

Some  ohevrd  him,  and  some-  \\ould  nor,  and  rlu  two 
cries  mingled  tou;ether,  '  1'isani,  Saint  Mark.  Saint  Mark, 
\  irror  I'isam.' 

I  he  historian  l)aru.  whose  passion  lor  romance 
sometimes  li-d  him  far,  says  that  I'isam  asked  to  he 

allo\ved  to  spend  one  more  m;>ht  in  contine- 
1 

nu-nr,  in  ortler  that  he  might  prepare 
himself  In  pra\'er  tor  pel  forming1,  his  dexotions  tin 
ne\r  morning,  and  that  ir  \\as  from  rhe  \\mdo\\  «t  his 
prison  rhar  he  rehuked  tin-  cro\\d  tor  chi-ermg  him. 
^  et  Darn  himself,  a  te\\  paL!.es  earlier,  had  |iist  desenhed 
rhe  prisons  ot  Venice  in  rhe  fourteenth  ceiitur\  as 
hornhle  dens  \slnch  had  neither  h^ht  nor  ;m-  except 
trom  ;i  narro\\  corridor,  adding  that  tin-  most  piercing 
screams  con  Id  lie\  ef  he  hea  rd  out  -ide. 

VIcii  like  1'isjni  have  little  need  of  acting  o|-  posin^ 
in  order  to  increase  then  prestim-,  tor  it  is  cnoimh  rha' 
the\  should  slio\\  rhemsehes  and  hra\e  men  \\ill  follo\\ 
them.  I  he  captain  \\as  taken  from  prison  at  once  and. 


xiv  THK    WAR    OF    CHIOGGIA  393 

after  saving   a    prayer  in   the   basilica,   went   he-tore   the 

Done. 

I  he  mutual  position  of  the  two  men  was  a  strange 
one.  C'ontanm  must  have  been  well  aware  that  Pisam's 
condemnation  had  been  utterly  uii]ust;  Pisam  had 
suffered  that  condemnation  without  complaint,  and  well 
knew  that  the  Doge  had  voted  tor  it,  both  were  brave 
and  patriotic  men,  who  believed  devoutlv  in  the-  system 
hv  which  their  own  aristocracy  repressed  among  its 
members  am  attempt  at  individualism,  spied  upon  itself, 
and  treated  Failure  as  a  crime.  Pisani,  it  the  situation 
had  been  reversed,  would  have  condemned  Contanm 
as  unhesitatingly  as  Contanm  had  condemned  him.  It 
\\as  certainly  against  the  theorv  of  the  Republic  that 
he  should  be-  taken  out  of  prison  before  he  had 
expiated  his  defeat;  but  it  was  inevitable,  and  he  was 
free. 

^  et    both     men    found    something    to    sav     in     these 
almost   absurd   circumstances,   which    was   neither  com- 
monplace, nor  undignified,  nor  merelv  complimentary. 
1  ^1  our    prudent    and    wise    conduct,1    said    the    Doge, 
"\\ill  efface  vour  misfortunes,  and  avenge  not  onlv  any 
offence  which  you  mav  have  received  your- 
self         Pisani  had  been  called  a  coward  bv 
the  pro\  \cditor  of  the  Republic        'but  also  tin   injuries 
which    our    country    has    suffered    at    the    hands    of    our 
enemies;    von  will  therefore  consider  rather  the  ta\our 
done    you    now    than    the    past    disgrace    in    which    you 
have    been,  and    you    will    gladly    ser/.c   this    ot'casion    of 
rovin      how   unfounded   those   accusations   \\ere   \\hicli 


.304          GLKAXIXGS    FROM    HISTORY  xiv 

\\eiv  made  against  vou,  and  how  much  vou  desire  to 
earn  in  future  the  gratitude  ot  our  countr\  .' 

lo  this  cle\  erlv-worded  and  not  wholly  inane  speech 
Pisani  replied  that  he  had  altogether  forgotten  tin-  past, 
and  that  he  should  rind  means.  In  the  grace  of  (  iod,  to 
deserve  the  confidence  placed  in  him. 

l>etorc  he  was  allowed  to  depart  he  was  informed  that 
he  was  not  to  have  sole  command  of  the  \  cm-nan  troops, 
since  I  addeo  ( iiustmiam  had  been  entrusted  with  the 
defence  on  the  side  towards  tin-  Lido.  I'isani  hent  Ins 
head  and  answered  that  he  had  at  all  times  obeved  the 
orders  of  the  Signorv. 

But  the  j)c-ople  were  less  submissive  to  this  school- 
master justice;  thev  would  ha\e  Pisam,  and  no  one-  but 
P'sani.  L\en  the  soldiers  who  came  from 
the  little  island  of  1  orcello  protested. 
'Command  us  what  vou  will,  thev  said  to  him,  'we 
will  do  whatever  vou  order  us,  but  it  must  be  under 
\  < Hi i'  i  >wn  eves.' 

So  a  depuration  of  the  vounger  ones  amon<;  them 
\\ent  to  rlu-  ducal  pahice.  carr\'in<j.  the  banner  of  I  orcello 
before  them,  and  addressed  the  counsellors.  'l-or  the 
love  of  (iod,'  thev  said,  'give  us  three  oallcvs,  which 

\\  e  \\ill  ((imp  ;it   our  o\\  n  cost,  on   condition  that   we  he 

i 

al\va\"s.  am!  e\er\\\here,  under  the  orders  of  \ittor 
I'isani/ 

1!\     \\;i\     of    ans\\cr    t!u\     \\ere    ordei't d    to    LM)    to    The 
Lido    and    tiLiht    under     l.idden   (  iiustmiam.      "\\  e    \\ill 
be  cut    into  small   puces   rather  than    h<dit   under   him, 
i  ried   the   men   of     I  orcello,   \\lui  \\ere  assembled   in   the 


xiv  THE  WAR   OF   CHIOGGIA  395 

square  when  the-  depuration   brought  them  the  answer 
ot  the  Signorv. 

1  he  \  enetians  took  up  the  cr\',  and  again  the 
government  was  obliged  to  yield.  lo  paralyse  the 
people's  enthusiasm  at  such  a  moment,  to  shake  their 
confidence,  to  trample  upon  their  wholesale  sympathies, 
was  to  lose  \  emce  herself.  \\  hen  it  was  known  that 
Pisam  was  appointed  commander-in-chief  of  all  the 
forces,  the-  enthusiasm  of  the  city  broke  out  in  wild 
cheering  for  Saint  Mark,  for  the  Doge,  for 

i  11      l  11  Kom.iii.2So. 

the  government;  all  the  men  hastened  to 
enroll  themselves  under  his  standard,  and  all  the-  women 
brought  whatever  thev  possessed  of  value  to  the  palace, 
both  lewels  and  other  objects;  they  even  ripped  the 
silver  trimmings  and  embroideries  from  their  clothes. 
Fortv  gallevs  which  lav  in  the  arsenal  were  fitted  out 
in  three'  davs,  and  in  the  same  time  two-thirds  of  the 
crews  necessary  had  been  found. 

The  government  promised  great  rewards  to  all  who 
should  distinguish  themselves  in  the  struggle'.  It  was 
announced  that  thirty  citr/en  families,  whichever  should 
contribute  the  most  directly  to  the  salvation  of  the 
Republic,  should  be  inscribed  in  the  Golden  Hook  of 
the  nobles;  that  all  strangers  who  would  rake-  arms 
to  defend  \  emce  should  be  adopted  as  children  In  the 
State,  and  should  enjoy  all  the  privileges  accorded  to  rhe 
original  burghers;  finally,  the  government  promised  to 
distribute-  five  thousand  ducats,  or  over  thirty-seven 
hundred  pounds  sterling,  to  the-  poorer  families  of  tin- 
citv  not  belonging  to  the'  nobility.  Having  made  these- 


frb  r.LFAMXGS    FROM    HISTORY         xiv 

promises,  the  Start.',  bv  its  decree,  proceeded  to  threaten 
\eiiij,eance  against  all  who  should  desert  the  posts  as- 
signed to  them,  or  attempt  to  leave  \enice  so  long  as 
it  was  menaced  In  the  encmv. 

\\  hen  all  was  reach"  for  the  hold  attempt  the  Senate 
took  final  measures  for  the-  disposition  of  the-  troops, 
as  well  as  for  the  police  of  the  citv.  In  those  quarters 
which  were  most  exposed  to  an  attack,  as,  for  instance, 
that  of  the  Niccolotti,  the  inhabitants  were  to  he  con- 
tinually  reach  to  fight  at  a  moment's  notice;  in  the 
remaining  quarters  onlv  one-third  of  the  men  were  to 
remain  at  home  as  a  garrison,  while  the  rest  placed 
themselves  under  the  orders  of  Pisam  at  the-  front. 
A  careful  watch  was  kept  upon  all  vagabonds,  idlers, 
and  other  suspicious  persons  as  long  as  the  war  lasted, 
lest  anv  of  them  should  enter  into  correspondence  with 
the  enemy's  Meet. 

\\hen  we  consider  the  condition  of  tin-  Republic  at 
this  moment,  it  must  seem  little  short  of  ama/in^  that 
\  en  ice  should  have  survived  at  all.  1  he  terntorv  of" 
the  State-  was  reduced  bv  the1  invasion  of  the  allies 
to  little  more  than  the  citv  itself;  even  outpost 
except  the-  tower  of  the  salt-works  \\as  in  the  hands 
of  the  ciicim  ;  a  large  fleet  with  a  \cr\  strong  foice 
of  men  was  in  safe  possession  of  Chioggia,  the  kev  to 
the  lagoons;  and  all  attempts  at  negotiating  \\ith  the 
eneim  had  signalh"  failed.  I  he  Republic  had,  indeed, 
<_jone  so  far  as  to  send  a  suppliant  embassv  to  her 
former  vassal,  Francesco  Carrara;  he  uas  addressed 
\\ith  humiht\"  as  'Powerful  and  magnificent  lord,'  and 


XIV 


THE   WAR   OF   CHIOGGIA 


397 


a  fair  sheet  of  blank  paper  was  laid  before  him  on  which 
he  was  requested  to  note  with  his  own  hand  his  own  terms 
tor  peace,  with  the  sole  condition  that  \  emce  should 
still  be  considered  independent;  and  the  ambassadors 
had  brought  with  them  some  Genoese  prisoners  whom 


thev  offered  to  return  without  ransom.  But  these 
humble  proposals  were  haughtily  refused,  Carrara  bade 
the  .suppliants  to  return  and  take  their  prisoners  with 
them,  threatening  that  he  would  ere  long  bridle  the 
bron/.e  horses  of  Saint  Mark's  and  keep  them  quiet 
for  ever. 

I    have    quoted    this    incident    as    it    is   given    from 


GI.KAMXGS    FROM    HISTORY'  xiv 

C'hina/./o's  chronicle  in  Smedley's  Skrtt'k/'s  jr^ni   I  <nr- 
.    1 1     :    •  v.   ;nul   there  seems   no   reason   to   doubt  the 
;iurhont\'  <>t  the   Italian  historian,  whose  \\ork   is  to  he 
touiul  in  Muraton. 

1'isani  had  lost  no  time,  while  tin-  allies  were  \\astin<i' 
theirs  in  useless  reconnoitring  and  futile-  skirmishes. 
I  le  had  tortified  the  entrance'  ot  the  Lido  with  temporary 
towers  hinlt  in  the  short  space  ol  tour  davs,  he  had  sunk 
hulks  in  all  the  important  channels,  and  had  <iot  readv 
a  <M'eat  number  of  small  boats  with  which  to  convey  his 
men  across  the  shallow  water.  Moreover,  as  manv 
anionu  his  troops  had  no  experience  of  the  oar,  he 
had  trained  them  as  well  as  mi^ht  be,  in  the  short  time, 
on  the  canal  now  known  as  the  (iiudecca.  But  he  had 
kept  his  o\\  n  plan  a  secret,  and  it  does  not  appear  that 
\\hen  the  \enetians  made  their  bold  attack  upon  the 
allies  thcv  knew  what  their  leader  purposed.  Ir  was 
enoiiidi  "that  he-  led  them;  thev  followed  him.  to  do 

or    die. 

\ndrea  Contanni,  eisditv  vears  of  a<^e,  but  still  as 
bra\e  as  an\  \outh  in  the  host,  would  not  suffer  the 
i  \pedition  to  no  forth  without  him,  and  his  example  not 
onl\  roused  the  enthusiasm  of  e\(i\  tiohtm^  man,  but 
uas  f(i||o\\ed  b\  a  numlu-r  of  senator^  too  old  to  bear 
arm-,.  In  the  last  extremit\  ot  danger  \enice  had 
one  \  ast  adsantam1  against  o\ei\\helmm^  odds,  for  her 
juople  \\ere  united  to  a  man.  Men  o;a\e  not  onb' 
themsebes  but  all  their  lortunes  to  save  their  countrv, 
and  toi  the  first  and,  I  believe,  the  la^t  time  in  histor\, 
a  commercial  people  foi^a\t-  one  another  their  com- 


I  Hi;   WAR    OF    CHIOGGIA 


meivial  debts  tor  the  sake  of  the  common  satetv.  One 
indi\  idual  burgher  fitted  out  a  gallev  at  his  own  expense; 
another  bound  iinnselt  to  support  a  thousand  men 
throughout  the  war;  all  those-  who  had  anything  to 
i^ive  <^a\e  it  trcclv,  and  those  who  had  nothing  gave 
themseK  es. 


I  he  offensn'e  mo\'(.-ment  of  the  \eiietians  had  been 
preceded  hv  several  successful  skirmishes  in  October 
and  \o\ember,  the-  result  ot  \\lnch  hatl  been  that  the 
( Jenoese  had  more  or  less  abandoned  operations  tor 
the  \\~mter,  and  had  withdrawn  their  fleet  into  the  sate 
harbour  of  Chioggia  to  a\\ait  the-  spring,  lea\  m^  onb" 


-)'-''  ' 

tliivi  »jallc\.s  to  cruise  before-  the  enti'anci-  in  case  a 
surprise  should  be  attempted.  1  hey  seem  to  ha\e 
been  ;:.--  sure  ot  taking  \emce  as  it  the\  had  been 
anchored  opposite  the  Pia/./.etta ;  and  in  accordance 
\\ith  the  mihtan  practice-  ot  those-  days,  they  and  then 
allies  hibernated,  apparently  taking  it  tor  panted  that 
tlu-  \enetians  would  do  the-  same-,  and  \\'ait  resignedh 
to  be  destroyed  in  warmer  weather.  I  he-y  were  ruele-lv 
awakened  ti'om  their  secure-  dreams  ot  victory  and 

spoil. 

1  he  \enetian  fleet  stole  out  to  sea  on  the  c-\'emiiLi 
ot  the  t\\  eiin  -first  of  December,  consistino;  of  thirrv- 
tour  galleys,  sixty  smaller  armed  \\-ssels 
and  hundreds  ot  Hat-bottomed  boats. 
1'isam  led  the  \an,  towing  two  heavy  old  hulks  laden 
\\uli  stones.  I  he-re-  is  a  disagreement  <>f  authontie.s 
as  to  the  dav  of  tlu-  month  on  which  he  left  \emci-. 
but  all  ainve  that  the  Venetians  appeared  off  the 
Chiojmia  entrance  and  landed  four  thousand  nun  on 
the  point  ot  Bromlolo  island  at  da\\n  on  the  following 
morning  no  inconsiderable  teat,  though  the  night 
had  been  the  longest  ot  the  year.  I  he  distance,  on 
a  modern  admiralty  chart,  from  the  port  ot  Lido  to 

the  C'hloon];i  entrance,  outside  the  Islands,  1  find  to 
be  about  thirteen  nautical  miles;  hv  the  canals  within 
tin  lagoons  it  is  considerabb  farther,  but  it  is  certain 

that     1  'is, i  in    went    bv    t  he   i  ipell    sea  . 

1  he  (  lenoese  \\ere  taken  In  surprise.  I  he  three 
cruisers  on  dut\  as  sentinels  outside  the  port  \\e-re  not 
\\hen  tlu\  should  ha\e  lu-en,  and  \\  i  hear  no  more  of 


THE    CITY    IN    THE    SEAS 


*i     Wvv^r..   •':  X^'"^W** 

-:t";\ 

,. — .,    •«      --<»s».^  j    •»(,,    ,  .^asprt  <a 


Jsw*#* ' 


\i\  THK    \\"Ak    OF   CHIOGGIA  401 

tin-in  ;  it  almost  looks  as  it",  in  tln-ir  security,  tin-  invaders 
must  ha\e  LM\en  up  that  last  precaution. 

In  tin-  lace  of  a  heavy  fire  and  with  the  loss  ot 
one-  vessel,  Ininn-d  by  the  cnemv,  I'isam  succeeded  in 
sinking  his  hulks  across  the  entrance.  Io  the  last  the 
(  u-noesc  do  not  appear  to  have  understood  his  inten- 
tion, tor  thev  themselves,  or  their  own  tire,  helped  to 
sink  the  heavily-ballasted  vessels,  and  it  was  not  until 
all  was  o\er,  and  the  barrier  had  been  made  insurmount- 
able In  heaping  other  material  upon  it,  that  thev  plamlv 
saw  what  had  happened.  I  hey  were  caught  like  mice 
in  a  trap,  unless  they  could  get  their  fleet  out  bv  some 
other  way.  I  he  mouth  ot  the  Brenta  river  at  Bron- 
dolo,  two  miles  to  the  southward,  still  remained  naviga- 
ble, ami  Pisani  proceeded  to  blockade  it  in  the  same 
way, though  with  far  greater  difficulty.  FedericoCornaro 
was  entrusted  with  the  dangerous  and  difficult  task,  and 
accomplished  it  under  a  terrific  fire-,  Pisam  protecting 
him  meanwhile  trom  anv  attack  trom  the  (ienoe.se 
\  essels. 

1  his  being  done,  the  enemy's  fleet  was  paralysed, 
and  the  result  could  onl\'  have  been  a  matter  ot  rime, 
it  Pisam  had  been  in  command  ot  a  regular  torce. 
Instead,  his  men  were  volunteers  ami  raw  recruits, 
capable  ot  magnificent  courage  in  a  single  i-n^a^enu-nt, 
as  rln  \  h.ad  shown,  and  reach'  to  slu-d  their  blood  as 
thev  had  iH\r:i  their  treasure;  but  thev  were  ill  accus- 
tomed to  exposure,  to  night  work  at  sea  in  the  depth 


402  GLKAXINGS    FROM    HISTORY          xiv 

IV. im  could  not  leave  rlu-  scene-  of  action,  even  for  a 
dav,  ami  even  it  In-  had  consented  to  such  an  act  of 
tollv.  then-  was  the  old  Doge,  swearing  upon  the  hilt  of 
his  sword  never  to  return  to  \  en.ce  till  the  cncmv  \vas 
thoroughly  heaten.  "*!  et  the  volunteers  ot  tin-  people 
cared  little  for  such  an  example,  and  threatened  to  go 
home  to  \emce  in  a  bodv,  leaving  the-  (ienoese  to  dig 
their  wav  out  it  thev  could,  and  indifferent  to  the-  tact 
that  it  left  to  themselves  thev  could  certainly  rind  means 
of  reaching  \  emce  within  a  few  davs,  though  thev  could 
not  bring  their  fleet.  1  hev  had  heen  in  real  danger 
now,  ami  thev  would  waste  no  more  time  in  idleness 
or  futile  skirmishing. 

It  was  m  \am  that  Pisani  tried  to  cheer  such  a  force- 
In"  reminding  them  that  Carlo  /eno,  with  a  strong 
fleet  manned  h\'  veteran  seamen,  was  expected  to  re-turn. 
I  he  people  knew  well  enough  that  lie  had  heen  ex- 
pected tor  months,  and  that  there  was  no  reason  whv 
he  should  appear  providentially  at  the  present  juncture. 
It  was  the  Christmas  season  ;  thev  had  fought  like  lions, 
shut  up  their  enemies,  and  momentarily  avertcdextreme 
danger;  for  amateur  soldiers  this  seemed  etiou<Ji,  ;md 
thc\  clamoured  to  he  allowed  to  <j;o  hack  to  their  \\ives 
and  rhildivn. 

Like  C'olumlnis,  Pisani  saw  himself  on  the  \erv 
ver«j[c-  of  losi;-.^  the  result  of  all  his  lahoiir,  for  lack  of 
a  little  more  trust  on  the  part  of  his  men.  lo  keep 
tin -m  l>\'  force  was  impossible,  for  the\  themsehcs  were 
tin  male  population  of  \enice,  and  for  the  tmn-  heinii 
rhe\  held  i>ood  and  e\i!  m  tln-ir  liaiuls.  f.\en  the 


XIV 


THE  WAR   OF   CHIOGGIA 


403 


senators  and  other  nobles  murmured  at  being  obliged 


to  keep  at  sea,  and  often  under  tire,  because  the  Doge 
had  rashlv  sworn  a  solemn  oath  to  remain. 


44          (  -I  I   \MNCiS    FROM    III.sTOkY 


:  \ 


(  >n  tin-  thirtieth  <>f  December  Pisam  was  driven  to 
such  extremities  as  to  in-  forced  to  promise  that  unless 
I'arlo  /(.-in)  appeared  in  forty-eight  hours  rhc-  fleet  should 
ivrurn  to  rlu-  I.uio,  in  spin.-  ol  rlu-  Doge  ami  his  vow. 
I  In- iv  \\  a.s  no  ivason  ar  all  why  Xeno  should  In-  ex- 
pected; ir  \\as  a  IIK-IV  emptv  promise',  luir  ir  gained 
rinii-;  something  could  snll  hi-  done  in  two  ilavs  aiul 
two  m<;hrs. 

Hi-  lahomvil  ami  fought  on,  ami  the-  shorr  limit  ot 
rniK-  i-xpii'ril  \\irh  rhi-  ila\\n  ot  \r\\  ^  car's  l)a\.  Xi-no 
hail  nor  COIIK-,  ami  Pisam's  men  would  nor  sta\  anotlu-r 
hour.  l>\  his  promisr  he  must  K-r  rlii'in  m>,  ami  ir 
iK-eik-d  nor  his  wisdom  to  toivscv  rhar  rhcir  ck-ti-crion 
nit-ant  rln-  tall  ot  \  rnuv,  the-  i-ml  ot  rhi-  Rt-puhlic,  rln- 
m-ncral  destruction  ot  rhr  insi-nsarc  population  rhi-m- 
si-lvi-s  with  all  thi'V  had,  Ir  \\as  ot  hrr'u-  use-  ro  ha\c 
lu-c-n  rht'ir  idol  tor  \vars  and  their  \ 'icronous  dictator 
tor  ten  ilavs,  it  rhrv  could  nor  hear  a  hrrlc  cold  ami  a 
little  hardship  tor  his  sake.  I  he  dav  rose  \veanl\ 
tor  Pisani. 

1  hen,  tnmi  aloft,  a  sail  \\as  sighted.       It  \\as  the  sail 
nt    a    galley.       \nother,    ami    another,    ami    ani»ther,    all 

galleys    unmisra k a hl\  ,    rlu  \     ho\  e    in    si^'m 

aho\'e  rhe  hon/.on,  eighteen  in  ail.      I  lostiie. 

or     t  riemlK  :         I  liar     was     the     <  j  uestn  MI. 

Xeno,  or  destruction  and  the  end  :  I  lien 
the  banner  ot  Samr  Mark  broke  our  from  rlu  peak 
o'  the  foremost,  and  Hoated  fair  on  tlie  niormni;  bree/e. 
I  r  \\  a  ^  /.ci)(  i  indeed. 

\ml  not  onl\    had  the  famous  leadi  r  himsi  It  come  at 


xiv  T1IK    WAR    OK    CHIOGGIA 

the  one  moment  of  all  others  when  he  was  most  needed, 
perhaps  in  his  whole  lite;  he  came  as  a  victor,  bringing 
pn/es  ami  spoil  ot  inestimable  value.  He  had  laid 
waste  the  Genoese  coast,  almost  to  the  citv  itselt;  he- 
had  intercepted  (Genoese  convovs  ot  gram  or}  Apulia, 
he  had  harassed  the  enemv's  commerce  in  the  hast,  and 
he  had  captured,  orr  Rhodes,  a  huge  vessel  ot  theirs 
with  tive  hundred  thousand  pieces  ot  gold. 

All  this  he  told  the  Doge  on  hoard  the  latter's 
gallev.  He  had  been  twice  wounded  and  was  not  vet 
recovered,  but  nothing  could  dimmish  his  energv  nor 
damp  his  ardour;  at  his  own  request  he  was  stationed 
at  the  post  ot  greatest  danger,  opposite  Brondolo,  and 
though  the  Genoese  made  a  supreme  effort  to  destrov 
the  barriers  and  get  their  ships  out  during  a  gale,  m 
which  some  ot  /eno's  ships  dragged  their  anchors,  lu- 
drove  them  triumphantly  back  into  their  prison,  and 
blockaded  them  more  securely  than  ever.  In  tin.-; 
action  he  was  nearly  killed  again.  An  arrow  pierced 
his  throat  when  the  gale  had  driven  him  under  one 
ot  the  Genoese  torts.  hest  he  should  bleed  to  death 
he  would  not  pluck  out  the  missile,  but  remained 
on  (.leek  to  save  his  ship;  till,  stumbling  in  the  dusk, 
he  tell  down  an  open  hatch.  He  was  htted  up  sense- 
less, the  arrow  was  withdrawn,  and  he  was  halt  suffo- 
cated hv  his  own  blood;  but  his  senses  revived,  and  he 
had  himself  turned  upon  his  face,  so  that  the  blood 
might  run  treelv  our  and  allow  him  to  breathe.  I<> 
such  a  man  it  seemed  as  it  nothing  short  ot  sudden 
death  outright  could  be  fatal;  he  refused  to  leave  his 


4o6          GLEANINGS    FROM    HISTORY  xiv 

ship.  and  in  a  marvellously  short  space-  of  rime  he  \vas 
about  his  duty  again  as  it  nothing  hail  happened. 

Meanwhile  I'isani  pushed  the-  sie-ge-  and  bombarded 
Chioggia.  In  his  force  there  were  numbers  of  (ie-rman 
ami  Knghsh  mercenaries,  who  came  to  blows  and  killed 
each  other  bv  the  score-;  but  an  English  captain  nameel 
\\ilham  (iolel  had  authority  enough  to  (|iie-ll  the-  elis- 
orele-r,  and  the  regular  fighting  went  on. 

I'isani  continued  to  bombard  Brondolo.  1  he-  be- 
ginnings of  artillery  were  unwieldy  in  the  e-xtre-nu-,  it 
being  thought  that  the  main  object  should  be-  to  throw 
a  missile  of  great  sr/.e  and  weight,  even  at  long  intervals, 
rather  than  to  discharge  much  smaller  ammunition  with 
pre-cise  aim.  One  of  Pisam's  mortars  is  saiei  to  have- 
thrown  a  marble-  ball  weighing  two  hundred 

A.">:.  Hi.  j.fy.  . 

pounds,  and  the  smallest  siege-  mortar.-, 
projected  masses  of  one-  hundred  ami  torrv  pounds. 
lo  clean,  load,  ami  once-  fire  one-  of  these  clumsv 
howit/ers  was  often  the-  work  of  a  whole  elav;  bur 
if  hv  an\"  chance-  the-  shot  took  effect,  rhe-  result  \\as 
formidable.  A  single  ball  from  Pisam's  LMvat  bombard 
knocked  down  rhe-  church  rower  of  Bronelolo  \\ith  a 
considerable  pie-ce-  of  rhe-  rampart:-,  close  In.  biirvmg 
Pietro  Dona  ami  his  nephew  unde-r  the-  rums. 

I  he-   \enetians    no\\    held    all    the   approaches   to   the- 

lagoons    from    Hie    sea;    and    In     taking    rlu-    port    of 

l.o'Velo    ;it     tile    mouth    of     the-      \elim-,    tlu-\ 

cur    oil     Brondolo    and    Chioggia    from    all 

communi>'arion    \\irh    rlu-    l)uke   ot    I'Yrrara,    \\lio    had 

hitherto  senr  supphe-s  of   proxisions  and   remforce-menrs 


xiv  THH   WAR    OF    CHIOGGIA  407 

In'  that  \vav.  1  he  tune  was  not  far  distant  when 
famine-  must  hc^m  to  make  itself  felt  among  the 
besieged,  and  the  \  enetians  redoubled  their  efforts. 

Meanwhile,  after  the  death  of  Dona,  a  bold  man 
of  original  mind,  Xapoleone  Grimaldi,  took  command 
of  the  Genoese.  He  soon  saw  that  in  the  existing 
conditions  Brondolo  must  fall,  and  that  his  fleet  could 
never  escape.  It  occurred  to  him  that  a  canal  could  be 
dug  straight  through  the  island  to  the  open  sea,  bv 
which  he  could  bring  his  ships  out  during  the  night, 
and  immediately  threaten  Venice  herself,  before  the 
\  enetian  fleet  could  return. 

1  he  work  was  begun,  but  the  Venetians  discovered 
it  in  time.  Grimaldi  had  even  then  no  less  than  thir- 
teen thousand  fighting  men  in  Brondolo  and  Chioggia; 
the  \  enetians  had  barelv  eight  thousand.  1  hev  had 
appealed  to  the  famous  Knjdish  condottiero  John  Hawk- 
wood,  whose  engagement  to  fight  for  the  Milanese 
had  | ust  expired;  but  he  either  thought  the  Venetians 
were  playing  a  losing  game,  or  else  he-  found  more 
lucrative  employment  elsewhere,  for  after  promising  his 
assistance  he  tailed  to  come.  \  enice  now  called  for 
volunteers,  and  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  men  appeared 
in  answer  to  the  call.  Among  them  there  was  e\en  a 
canon  ol  Saint  Mark's,  Giovanni  Loredan,  with  tour  of 
his  servants. 

In  the  absence  of  anv  famous  condottiero  to  take 
the  command,  the  Signorv  condescended  to  appoint 
Carlo  /.eno  to  the  command  of  the  land  troops.  He 
saw  that  if  Grimaldi's  pro)ect  was  to  be  frustrated, 


4  ;  GLKAMNGS    FROM    HISTORY'          \i\ 

Brondoln  nuisr  In-  taken  at  once,  and  the  whole  Genoese 
force  nuisr  he  driven  into  Chioggia.  IK-  was  as  good 
.1  sold,'/!'  as  he  was  a  sailor,  and  he  did  not  tail.  Mis 
practice  in  all  warfare  was  to  rake-  cverv  possible  pre- 
caution before  righting  at  all,  and  then  to  engage  with 
khe  most  reckless  and  furious  energv. 

Deceived  hv  Zeno's  mamrm 'res,  the  whole  garrison 
of  Brondolo  was  drawn  out  in  the  direction  of  'Little' 
Chioggia.  Sei/ing  the  opportune  moment,  /eno  then 
succeeded  in  throwing  himself  between  Brondolo  itself 
and  its  small  armv,  at  the  verv  moment  when  the 
latter  was  attacked  In  /eno's  soldiers  of  fortune.  1  he 
whole  hodv  of  Genoese  He-el  in  a  panic  towards  the 
bridge  of  Chioggia,  trampling  upon  each  other,  pursued 
and  cut  to  pieces  hv  /eno.  I  nder  the  weight  of  the 
fiigitix'c-s  rlie  bridge  broke,  and  hundreds  were  drowned 
in  the  can:1.!,  while  the  \  cnetians  hteralb'  sk-\\  thousands 
\\irliin  a  (juarfer  of  a  mile  of  the  bridge-  head.  I  hat 
niidit  a  perfc-ct  suit  of  armour  could  be  bought  for  a 
ducat  |iist  fifteen  shillings. 

Brondolo  \\as  l:>st  that  dav.  And  \\orse  followed, 
for  though  tin-  ( lenoese  commander  threatened  to  hang 
e\erv  fiiihting  man  \\lio  left  Chioggia  if  he  could 
catch  him  the  garrison  deserted  in  s.M'eat  numbers 
during  flu-  nii^hr,  main1  <>(  them  being  Padinms  and 
sub|ects  of  C'arrara,  who  had  not  tar  to  L',(|  in  order 
ti  i  reach  t  heir  homes. 

It  was  clear  to  (Inmaldi  that  since  this  last  defeat 
he  could  expect  no  further  help  except  from  (  K  no;i 
itself:  and,  m  fact,  a  fleet  of  tuentv  ualle\s  ha;!  leil 


XIV 


THK    WAR   OF    CHIOGGIA 


409 


that  citv   aiinosr  a   month   he-tore   Brondolo   had   fallen. 
\\hen  this  \\'as  known  the  Venetian  soldiers  clamoured 


to    he   alloued    to    arrack    Chioggia,    and    dn\c   our   the 
Genoese     before     succour     could     reach     them.       Bur 


4.10          GFFAMNGS    FROM    HISTORY"  xiv 

neither  Pisani  nor  Zeno  would  hear  of  this,  and  hravelv 
assumed  the  whole  responsibility  of  a  protracted  siege, 
well  knowing  that  Chioggia  was  a  most  dangerous 
plaee  to  attack,  hut  that  it  must  inevitably  vield  to 
famine  at  last.  So  the  winter  wore  on  and  still  the 
besiegers  and  the  besieged  faced  each  other,  each  side 
wondering,  perhaps,  how  long  the  other  would  persist. 

For  Venice  herself,  accustomed  as  she  was  to  draw 
all  her  supplies  from  a  distance,  was  beginning  to  lack 
corn,  and  it  at  last  became  necessarv  to  send  1  addeo 
(jiustimam  with  a  convov  of  ships  to  Southern  Italv  in 
order  to  bring  back  wheat.  On  his  return  he  \\as 
overtaken  by  the  new  Genoese  fleet,  beaten  and  taken 
prisoner,  and  soon  afterwards  the  enemv  appeared 
before  \  enice.  1  he  corn  had  already  arrived  in  satetv 
and  all  danger  of  famine  was  relieved,  for  Giustimani 
had  sent  the  laden  ships  on  before  him,  protected  In' 
half  his  squadron;  but  its  safetv  had  cost  him  the 
otlu-r  half  and  his  own  libertv. 

I  he  enemy's  new  fleet  was  commanded  b\  MarufFo, 
a  man  of  action,  who  now  did  his  best  to  tempt  Pisani 
to  a  naval  engagement;  but  the-  Venetian  admiral 
stubbornly  refused  to  be  drawn  into  a  flight,  and 
pursued  the  siege  of  Chioggia  with  obstinate  deter- 
mination. It  is  clear  that  as  the  ( ietioese  fleet  could 
not  possibly  get  inside  the  lagoons,  and  could,  do  no 
damage  from  without,  Pisanfs  refusal  to  liidit  was 
equivalent  to  paralysing  the  new  fleet;  it  was  as 
useless,  for  a  time,  as  if  it  had  not  existed.  (  )n  the 
other  hand,  Pisani  successfully  intercepted  more  than 


xiv  THK   WAR   OF   CHIOGGIA  411 

eight}'  barges  laden  with  food  supplies  which  Carrara 
attempted  to  send  to  the  beleaguered  town,  and 
Chioggia  was  approaching  the  last  extremity  of  famine. 
I  he  besieged  then  began  to  pull  down  some  of  the 
wooden  houses  of  Chioggia  in  order  to  make  rafts, 
with  which  they  hoped  to  cross  the  shallow 

:  T 

lagoon,     and     in     some    way    to    effect     a 

junction    with    Maruffo's    fleet;     but    Pisani's    cannon 

sunk  many  of  these  rafts,  or  punts,  and  the  remainder 

were    either    intercepted    bv    Zeno    or    forced    back    to 

Chioggia. 

Kven  the  drinking  water  was  now  failing,  and  the 
besieged  sent  representatives  to  make  terms  with  the 
Doge.  For  in  spite  of  the  murmurs  of  the  elderly 
senators,  who  were  obliged  by  mere  decency  to  remain 
at  the  scene  of  action  so  long  as  the  chief  of  the 
Republic  refused  to  leave  it,  Contanm  insisted  upon 
abiding  by  his  oath,  to  the  very  letter.  He  answered 
that  there  could  be  no  terms  at  all:  Chioggia  must 
surrender  unconditionally. 

During  two  davs  longer  the  city  held  out,  and  in 
that  short  time  secret  agents  attempted  to  sow  sedition 
amongst  the  mercenaries  in  the  service  of  \  emce,  and 
even  tried  to  send  letters  to  Carrara  in  order  to 
concert  a  last  desperate  attempt  for  freedom;  but  the 
dissatisfaction  of  the  condottien  was  easily  appeased 
hv  a  promise  of  more  money,  and  the  messeniiers  to 
Padua  were  caught.  On  the  twenty-fourth  of  June 
Chioggia  surrendered. 

I  hen,     from    the    lost    town,    came    forth     all    that 


4i-i  CI  I.AMXCS    1'ROM    HISTORY  xiv 

remained  of  the  strong  garrison,  tour  thousand  O;H' 
hundred  and  sevcntv  Genoese  aiul  two  hundred 
I'aduans,  ghasdv  aiul  emaciated,  ami  more  like  mov- 
ing corpses  than  living  beings.  At  the  same  time1, 
sexenteen  s^allevs  were  handed  over  to  the  Venetians, 
rlie  war-worn  remains  ot  the'  great  armada. 

\\irh    the    tall    ot    Chioggia    flu-    war   was   over,    and 

the  Doge's  vow  was  fulfilled,      lie  returned  in  triumph 

to  \  cmce,   and   was   met   at  San   Clemente 

bv  the  Hucentaur  with  his  counsellors  and 

the    heads    ot    the   Ouarantie,    \\ith    a    \ast 

number  ot   boats   in   which   the   population 

came  out  to  greet  their  chief,   and  to  ga/.e 

upon    the   captive   ( ienoese   galleys,    which    were   towed 

in    with    their    banners    at    halt-mast.       I  he    promised 

largesses  were  distributed  to  the  merccnarv  troops,  and 

the    l'.n<jhsh  captain,   \\ilham   Gold,   who  hail   rendered 

services    ot     threat    value,    received    tor    his    share    five 

hundred   ducats,  the  equivalent   in   actual   modern   com 

ot    three    hundred    and    seventv-five    pounds    sterling, 

a   \  erv  lar^e  sum  in  rhose  da\  s. 

\larutio  continued  to  cruise  in  the  Adriatic  \\irh 
an  efficient  tleer  sexeral  months  after  the  surrender 
(it  C'hioLr<jia,  and  I'isam  \\as  sent  out  against  him. 
•.!ter  recapt iirm<j,  C'apodistna  and  ra\au.uii;  tin-  coasts 
')*  i);i  matia,  the  \enetian  admiral  came  upon  the 
etu-nn  n|}  \pnlia.  In  the  en^auement  that  followed 
the  (  Iciioese  vVere  linalb  put  to  flight,  but  Misani 
Inmselt  was  mortalh  \\'ounded.  lie  was  taken  ashore 
at  \Iantredonia,  and  there  ended  his  heron-  lite. 


xiv  THE   WAR    OF    CTIIOGGIA  413 

His    body    was    brought    back    to    \  en  ice.    where   the 
news    or    his    death    had    been    received    with    universal 
grief;      the     Doge,     the     Senate,    and     the 
whole  cirv  attended  his  magnificent  funeral,   / 
and  he  was  buried  in  the  church  of"  Sum' 
Antonio,  where  a  statue  was  put  up  to  him,  which  has 
since  been  removed  to  the  principal  hull  of  the  Arsenal. 

Pisum's  place  was  rilled  bv  Carlo  /eno,  to  whom 
belongs  the  honour  of  having  finally  ended  the  war 
hv  drivm<i  the  enemy  into  the  very  harbour  of  (jeiiou. 
I  he  stru^le  between  the  two  republics  had  lusted  for 
centuries,  the  \\'ur  which  ended  it  hud  been  protracted 
through  six  and  a  halt  years,  and  there  was  much 
difficult}'  in  agreeing  upon  articles  of  peace  between 
\enice  on  the  one  hand,  and  on  the  other  (ienoa. 
King  Louis  of  Hungary,  and  Francesco  Carrara.  At 
first  sight,  on  reviewing  this  treaty,  one  might  be 
tempted  to  suppose  that  \  enice  obtained  no  advantages 
actually  equivalent  to  the  immense  sacrifices  she  had 
made  during  the  war;  but  in  reality  this  would  be 
very  tar  from  the  truth.  Genoa  had  given  e\en  more-, 
and  had  been  altogether  defeated  in  the  end;  her 
power  was  broken  tor  ever,  and  her  long  rivalry  with 
\  emce  was  at  an  end,  whereas  the  political  importance 
of  Venice  continued  to  increase-,  and  no  one  would 
have  thought  of  questioning  her  n<du  to  be  considered 
one  of  the-  great  European  powers. 

As  an  example  of  what  a  devoted  and  patriotic 
people  can  and  will  do  in  defence  of  their  liberties, 
the  war  of  Chiosiiiia  stands  hmh  in  the  annals  ot  the 


4.14          GLEANINGS    FROM    HISTORY          xiv 

\vorM;  as  a  teat  ot  generalship  Pisam's  blockade  ot 
rlu-  (  ienoese  Heet  is  perhaps  unrivalled,  and  the  military 
operation  bv  which  Carlo  /eno  tempted  the  whole 
i^ari'ison  ot  Brondolo  out  ot  that  town  in  the  morning, 
and  drove  it  like  a  Mock  ot  sheep  into  Chioggia  betore 
sunset,  is  a  teat  ot  arms  the  like  ot  winch  is  not 
recorded  ot  many  captains. 

\  emce  kept  all  her  promises,  though  thev  had  been 
made  under  the  pressure  ot  extreme  necessity.  1  hirtv 
families  ot  burghers  were  chosen  from  amongst  those 
that  had  made  the  greatest  sacrifices  tor  the  public 
satetv,  and  on  the  ritth  ot  September  the  heads  ot 
the  houses  were  solemnly  invested  with  the  right  to 
sit  in  the  Great  Council,  and  with  all  the  other  privi- 
leges ot  nobility  tor  themselves  and  their  descendants 
tor  ever.  1  hev  presented  themselves  betore  the  Do^e 
in  the  church  ot  Saint  Mark's,  each  carrying  a  lighted 
torch  ot  pure  wax;  when  thev  had  heard  mass  they 
wi-nt  to  the  Doge's  palace  to  assist,  trom  the  windows, 
at  a  series  ot  festivities  and  games.  It  is  sad  to 
record  that  a  certain  Leonardo  dall'  Agnello,  a  merchant 
ot  uram  and  forage,  who  had  literally  gi\i-n  all  lie 
possessed  tor  the  war,  died  ot  griet  because-  his  name' 
did  not  appear  in  the  list  ot  the-  newly  enrolled. 

1  he  aged  Doge  Contanm  survived  exactly  two 
years  alter  Ins  triumph,  and  went  down  to  his  grave 
in  rlie  full  bla/.e  ot  his  hnal  success,  and  ot  the 
country  s  growniL!;  glorv.  Amongst  those  proposed  as 
candidates  to  succeed  him.  Carlo  /A- no  was  mentioned; 
but  such  a  choice  would  have  been  contrary  to  all 


xiv  THE  WAR   OF   CHIOGGIA  415 

precedent  and  tradition,  for  it  was  thought  that  the 
election  of  the  bravest  captain  of  his  day  might  be 
dangerous  to  the  Republic;  and,  moreover,  most  of 
the  patricians,  whose  advice  during  the  war  he  had 
consistently  declined  to  follow,  were  jealous  of  him, 
and  predisposed  against  him.  But  the  war  with  the 
Carrara  was  not  yet  really  at  an  end,  in  spite  of  the 
treaty  of  peace,  and  there  was  still  much  for  Zeno 
to  do.  The  electors  chose  Michele  Morosini  to  fill  the 
ducal  throne. 


XV 


\^  ,111  epoch,  it  nor  preeiselv  as  a  period  of  a  hundred 
\raiN,  ilu  fourteenth  centun  in  Venetian  hi^ton  (.-loses 
\'.  H  h  the  \v;if  nl  C'llintiirj;i,  ;is  it  |H-^!!I  a!>o  hrlnrc  1  he 
\  (  a  r  i  ^  \\  it  h  the  Closure  i  it  tin-  (  in- at  C'<  >;i;ieil.  I1  or 
the  final  deti  :it  and  ruin  ot  the  (  lenoese,  \eiiiee  nuiili1 


YKXICE  IN  FIFTEENTH  CENTURY     417 

attainment  ot  her  highest  national  aim  ended  the  noblest 
page  in  her  history. 

The  Venetians  ot  the  tirst  period  were  at  once  brave 
and  prudent;  thev  were  at  times  needlessly  harsh  in 
judging  those  whom  they  believed  dangerous  to  the 
Republic,  but  they  were  sincere,  and  they  found  means 
to  make  other  nations  respect  their  country  as  they 
respected  it  and  loved  it  themselves. 

Atter  Chiogma,  \  emce  was  both  feared  and  admired, 

too 

but  it  is  not  possible  to  teel  much  sympathy  with  her 
sumptuous  social  lite,  nor  with  a  government  that  seems 
to  have  been  tor  ever  preoccupied  with  its  search  for 
secret  enemies;  nor,  indeed,  with  its  too  docile  working 
people,  or  its  soldiers  who  so  willingly  obeved  the 
commands  ot  the  foreign  condottieri  tinder  whom  they 
were  too  often  led  to  battle. 

\\  e  look  on  her  history  and  judge  her  In  imaginary 
standards,  which  were  never  hers.  \\  e  teel  that  at  the 
end  of  the-  fourteenth  century  she  entered  upon  a 
mistaken  course  in  which  she  obstinately  persevered  to 
the  end;  we  are  sure  that  she-  should  have  been  above 
anv  mere  pettv  jealousy  of  her  neighbours,  and  that 
she  should  have  used  all  her  strength  in  defence  of 
her  maritime  trade  and  her  colonies;  we  would  have 
had  her  abide  In  the  old  law  of  1274.,  which  forbade-  a 
\enetian  to  own  estates  on  the  mainland  of  Italv;  we 
consider  that  sin-  was  blinded  to  her  true  interests  bv  all 
sorts  of  intrigues,  and  that  she  neglected  her  trade  in 
order  to  put  herself  on  the  same  war-tooting  as  her 
adversaries,  though  she  had  not  their  natural  aptitude 


4iS  GLEANINGS    FROM    HISTORY'  xv 

for  warfare-;  that  she  drained  her  treasury  to  pay 
^rasping  condottien,  and  spent  on  futile  campaigns  the 
resources  which  had  hitherto  fed  her  commerce.  All 
this  we  are  to  some  extent  justified  in  concluding,  and 
upon  those  points  \ve  judge  her,  as  we  should  stron<dv 
object  to  being  judged. 

Nevertheless,  all  this  is  but  the  criticism  of  specula- 
tive moralists  and  philosophers,  a  class  of  well-meaning 
persons  whose  influence  in  the  world  has  never  been 
lar<ie.  t  nhappily  for  philosophy  and  morality,  thev 
are  but  too  easily  answered  bv  the  sledge-hammer 
argument  of  success.  In  plain  fact,  \emce  survived, 
and  grew  great,  and  was  a  power  during  tour  hundred 
\  ears  after  she  adopted  her  ultimate  formula  of  existence, 
and  in  the  end  she  died,  not  bv  the  hand  of  the-  enemies 
at  home  or  abroad  whom  she  had  successtullv  baffled 
tor  centuries,  but  of  sheer  old  age  and  marasmal  decline 
after  a  lite  of  eleven  hundred  years,  during  which  slit 
was  never  at  anv  time  subject  to  a  foreign  power,  or  a 
toreiim  prince,  was  never  once-  occupied  bv  a  foreign 
armv  and  was  never  bankrupt!  I  ntortunatelv  for 
sentiment,  no  f.uropean  nation,  not  ancient  Rome 
herself,  can  point  to  such  a  past,  and  the  sug<H-sti<>n  that 
Venice  miLiht  ha\e  done  much  better  bv  acting  much 
more  sentimentallv  is  utterlv  futile.  It  is  a  good  deal 
a.s  it",  \\hcn  the  'oldest  inhabitant'  of  a  \illage  has  just 
died  after  utterlv  hearing  all  other  records  ot  longevity, 
some  well-meaning  old  woman  should  sav:  'Ah,  but 
he  would  ha\'t-  lived  much  longer  if  he  had  taken  m\ 
advice.' 


VKNICK  IX  FIFTEENTH  CENTURY     419 

It  is  useless,  I  think,  to  inquire  whether  the 
complicated  machinery  of  Venetian  government  would 
have  worked  with  the  same  results,  if  anv  part  of  it 
had  been  altogether  removed.  No  one  of  the  many 
parts  had  been  made  arbitrarily,  still  less  had  any  then 
been  called  into  existence  to  afford  lucrative  posts  for 
favourites,  as  has  happened  hundreds  of  times  in  the 
existence  of  other  nations.  The  machinery  had  grown 
constantly,  as  more  and  more  was  required  of  it,  but  it 
had  never  stopped,  nor  had  it  ever  been  taken  to  pieces 
tor  repairs,  like  the  British  Constitution,  for  instance. 
It  was  a  government  of  suspicion  and  precaution,  which 
took  it  tor  granted  that  everv  man,  from  the  Do^e 

c*>  .  o 

down,  would  do  his  worst,  and  provided  against  the 
worst  that  anv  man  could  do.  1  his  is  true;  but  has 
anv  i^overnment  ever  thriven  which  reckoned  on  man's 
virtues  :  1  he-  plain  reason  why  all  the  many  artificial 
communities  founded  bv  good  men,  from  Buddha  to 
Fourrier,  or  even  I  homas  Hughes,  have  been  failures 
is  that  thev  have  all  reckoned  on  good  motives  in 
men,  rather  than  on  bad  ones.  \  emce  systematically 
expected  the  worst,  and  when  she  was  disappointed 
it  was  to  her  own  advantage.  Christianity  begins  by 
telling  us  with  energetic  emphasis  that  we  are  all 
miserable  sinners,  and  threatens  us  with  torments  which, 
it  thev  could  be  brought  before  our  eves,  would  turn 
tlie  hair  of  voung  men  grev.  \  enice  followed  very 
much  the  same  principle.  Venice  had  the  Po//i; 
Christianity  has  Hell. 

As   for  the   manner   in   which   Venice   conducted   her 


420  GLEANINGS    FROM    HISTORY  xv 

wars,  hv  the  aid  of  condottien  of  repuitation,  she  onlv 
followed  the  example  of  most  ot  her  neighbours.  1  lie 
practice'  had  mam  advantages,  one  of  which  undouht- 
edlv  \\as  that  the  prince,  or  the  republic,  was  not  hound 
to  support  an  idle,  restless,  and  ambitious  general  and 
his  force  of  trained  soldiers  in  times  of  peace.  1  he  pro- 
fessional tighter  was  sent  tor  when  needed,  as  one  sends 
tor  the  doctor.  lie  made  his  bargain,  heat  the  encmv 
it  he  could,  was  paid  tor  the  work,  and  \\ent  his  \\av 
\\ith  his  armv  in  search  ot  occupation  elsewhere. 

Of  course,  he  nu^ht  turn  traitor  at  am  moment, 
it  it  were  to  his  advantage,  and  he  was  ne\er  inclined 
to  annihilate  an  eneniv  to-dav  who  might  be  his 
patron  and  employer  to-morrow.  I  he  Italian  noun 
'condottiero  is  derived  from  the  word  'condotta/  which 
is  not  easilv  translatable  into  another  language,  but 
means  a  kind  ot  articled  en^im-mcm  tor  a  stipulated 

purpose.       In    modern    times    the    municipal    phvsician 
i  it. 

of  each  small  commune  is  termed  the  'medico  con- 
dotto,'  as  it  were  the  articled  doctor  \\lio  is  bound  to 
render  certain  services  without  charge,  because  he  is 
paid  b\  the  to\\  n. 

I  he  rise  ot  the  condottien  was  the  result  ot  the 
change  m  the  manner  of  lighting  which  took  place 
eanv  in  the  Middle  \su'S,  upon  the  introduction  and 
ile\elo  mieiit  ot  armour.  I  he  fust  professional  fighters 
uerc  the  aristocrac\',  \\lio  spent  their  rime  almost 
entireh  in  the  dailv  practice  ot  arms,  and  kept  them- 
>e!\es  in  perfect  rraimn.'j.  b\  constant  exercise.  Jo 
do  rbis  successf ullv  the\  \\orked  much  harder  than  the 


VENICE  IN  FIFTEENTH  CENTURY     421 

peasants  in  the  fields,  who  were  their  natural  enemies, 
and  who  would  have  destroyed  them  altogether  if 
thev  had  not  maintained  their  physical  supenoritv  bv 
every  means  in  their  power.  And  this  superiority  they 


'  4 'feft'^'-'l'i  "'i ' 
••  '*"  v*-i  *    .»:  ^  •  °;j 


gradually  supplemented  In  mc-ans  ot  armour  which  In' 
degrees  reached  such  completeness  as  to  make-  Hu- 
man and  his  horse  practically  invulnerable*,  before  the 
invention  ot  gunpowder.  A  score  of  well-equipped 
and  well-trained  knights  could  cut  to  pieces  ten  times 
their  number  of  men  armed  onlv  with  suords  and 


422 


GLEANINGS    FROM    HISTORY  xv 


shields.      Moreover,  tin-  nobles  did  nor  hesitate  to  han<^ 
anv  rich  plebeian  who  dared  to  wear  steel. 

I  he  first  soldiers  of  fortune  were  penniless  nobles 
who  owned  nothing  but  their  armour  and  horses,  and 
often  won  wealth  by  fighting  for  anv  one  who  would 
employ  them;  and  they  insisted  upon  bemsj;  treated 
with  the  deference  due  to  their  station.  Hut  little  by 
little,  as  more  fighters  were  thus  employed,  voun^  men 
of  unusual  physical  strength  regularly  went  to  work 
to  train  themselves  tor  the  profession,  because  it  was 
a  lucrative  one,  and  was  not  at  first  very  dangerous; 
tor  I  repeat  that  before  gunpowder  men-at-arms 
were  not  easilv  hurt,  and  as  for  noble  lineage,  the 
employer  cared  nothing  for  that  pro\  ided  that  the 
fighter  knew  his  business.  'I  hese  fighters  vcrv  natu- 
rally attached  themselves  bv  scores  and  In  hundreds 
to  anv  leader  who  had  the  reputation  of  gaming 
much  booty,  and  of  being  generous  in  distributing 
it.  I  believe  that  there  was  verv  little-  <.',o<>d  faith, 
and  no  trust  at  all,  between  the  condottiero  and 
his  own  band;  on  the-  contrarv,  I  think  tin-  relation 
must  have  been  verv  like-  that  which  exists  on  almost 
everv  merchant-vessel  between  the  captain  and  Ins  crew, 
and  every  man  who  has  been  to  sea  kno\\s  \\hat  that  is. 
I  he  best  crew  in  the  world  have  a  wav  of  regarding 
the  captain  "is  their  natural  encmv  which  is  \er\ 
surprising  to  a  landsman;  vet  it  thev  have  confidence 
m  Ins  seamanship  and  na\iuation,  and  it  In  does  not 
starve  them,  thev  will  obev  him  with  a  /eal  which  to 
tin.-  uninitiated  greenhorn  looks  like  devotion,  and  thev 


xv      VENICE  IX  FIFTEENTH  CENTURY     423 

will  even  run  great  risks  tor  him  beyond  what  the  law 
could  require  of  them.  He,  on  his  side,  has  been 
before  the  mast  himself  and  knows  exactly  what  they 
think  about  him,  and  that  if  he  allows  them  the 
slightest  liberty  or  indulgence  beyond  what  he  and 
they  know  to  be  ]ust,  lie  will  lose  all  control  over 
them.  In  the  stud\-  of  the  mediaeval  fighting  bands 
and  their  relations  to  their  leaders,  an  historian  might 
learn  a  vast  deal  in  the  course  of  a  six  weeks'  voyage 
on  a  big  modern  sailing  vessel. 

It  happened  sometimes  that  after  a  very  great 
victorv  the  condottiero  received  extensive  lands  besides 
a  large  sum  of  money,  and  that  he  was  formally 
adopted  into  the  aristocracy  of  the  country  for  which 
he  had  fought.  In  that  case,  he  either  disbanded  his 
men  and  retired  from  the  profession,  or,  if  he  was  still 
ambitious,  lie  entered  upon  a  career  of  warfare  and 
conquest  on  his  own  account.  Francesco  Sfor/a's  father 
began  life  as  a  peasant,  and  he  himself  ended  as  Duke 
of  Milan,  and  left  a  great  name  which  has  descended 
to  modern  times. 

I  he  fifteenth  century,  as  being  the  principal  period 
of  transition  throughout  Europe  from  ancient  to 
modern  warfare,  was  essentially  the  age  of  the  con- 
dottien,  and  many  famous  mercenary  captains  were 
employed  bv  Venice;  so  manv,  indeed,  that  a  review 
of  their  services  would  be  almost  a  consecutive  histon 
of  \  enice's  relations  with  her  neighbours  during  that 
nnu-.  1  here  was  Carmagnola  and  Gattamelata,  and 
1'  rancesco  Sforza;  there  was  Bartolommeo  Colleoni, 


424          GLEANINGS    FROM    HISTORY  xv 

and  Roberto  Sanseverino,  and  tbere  was  even  a  Duke 
of  Mantua.  As  Daru  savs,  the  Republic  grew  accus- 
tomed to  keeping  princes  in  her  pay. 

Kven  after  the  war  of  Chioggia  was  over,  Venice 
was  still  involved  in  the  long  struggle  with  the  Carrara 
of  Padua  which  was  to  end  with  the  almost  total 
extermination  of  that  familv.  Francesco  Carrara  hail, 
indeed,  signed  the  peace,  like-  the  Genoese  and  the 
King  of  Hungary.  1  he  Genoese  power  was  broken 
for  ever,  and  King  Louis  was  far  awav  and  not  anxious 
to  renew  a  fruitless  war  now  that  his  strongest  allies 
were  crippled;  but  Carrara  had  emerged  from  the  con- 
test practically  unweakened,  and  \  enice  was  not  hkelv 
to  forget  that  he  had  done  everything  in  his  power  to 
further  and  abet  the  aims  of  Genoa. 

1  here  is  no  history  more-  complicated  and  hard  to 
bear  in  mind  than  that  of  the  republics  and  princi- 
palities of  northern  Italv  in  the  Middle  Ages,  as  the 
crimes  bv  which  the  despots  kept  their  power  were 
more  tortuous  than  anv  committed  before  or  since. 
In  the  events  which  led  to  the  annexation  of  Padua 
bv  Venice  two  other  static  plaved  a  part,  namely,  the 
principality  of  \  erona,  held  by  an  illegitimate  descendant 
of  the  Scala  famiiv,  who  had  incidentally  murdered  his 
o\\  n  brother,  the  hitter's  mistress  and  all  their  children; 
and  the  great  dukedom  of  Milan,  then  ruled  In 
Giovanni  Galea/./o  \isconti,  who  had,  in 
the  ordinary  course  of  e\ents,  u.or  rid  of 
his  brother  Bernabo  bv  poison,  and  kept  a  couple  of 
nephews  locked  up  in  a  dungeon. 


xv      VENICE  IX  FIFTEENTH  CENTURY     425 

Antonio  della  Scala  was  jealous  ot  Carrara's  influence, 
and  made  a  secret  treatv  with  Venice,  under  which,  and 


tor    a     consideration    ot    twenty-five    thousand    florins 
monthlv,    he    undertook    the   coiKjuest    ot     Padua,    and 


42"          GLEANINGS    FROM    HISTORY  xv 

tin-  return  (»t  I  re\ "iso  to  the  Republic.  Hut  he  was 
hadlv  beaten  In'  Carrara,  who  succeeded  m  hribinjj; 
two  hiidi  officials  in  \  enice,  an  avogaclor  and  a 
member  ot  tin-  1'orty.  1  hese  were,  ot  course,  dis- 
covered In  the  government  and  dulv  executed. 

Carrara,  now  fearing  a  regular  war  with  \  enice, 
sought  the  alliance  ot  Milan,  ostensibly  against  Verona, 
iV ;  and  Galea/y.o  at  once  saw  a  chance  ot  profit 
tor  himself  in  granting  the  request.  He 
had  alwavs  hoped  to  make  mischief  between  Padua 
and  \erona,  and  it  is  said  that  after  Scala's  defeat  he- 
had  secret lv  offered  help  to  both  sides  at  the  same 
time.  lie  now  agreed  with  Carrara  to 
divide  and  share  Scala's  principality  ot 
\  erona.  Hut  when  Scala  was  beaten  and  ruined, 
(ialea/./o  naturally  refusc-d  to  let  Carrara  have  am 
jiarr  of  the  promised  spoil. 

Scala  took  refuge  in  \emce,  \\here  he  received  a 
pension,  but  ir  \\as  not  long  before  (Ialea/./o  succeeded 
in  haxuijj;  him  poisoned;  and  almost  at  the  same-  time 
(Ialea/./o  made  a  secret  treatv  with  \emce  to  rob 
C  arrara  of  his  principality.  \  enice  introduced  a  clause 
into  the  a^ret-menr,  \\hn-h  realb  shoued  (genius.  Lest 
( ialea//o  \isconti  should  serve  her  as  he  had  served 
Carrara,  the  Republic  required  that  he  should  leave 
his  dukedom  m  charge  ot  Carlo  /eno  \\hilc-  he  pro- 
secuted the  \\  a  r  in  pel  s<  in. 

(  arrara  nm\  turned  to  Venice  for  help  aisi'ns1 
\isconti,  pretenilmg  in  kno\\  nothing  ot  the  secret 
alliance-,  and  lu-imin^  that  the  Republic  \\ould  use  her 


VENICE  IN  FIFTEENTH  CENTURY     427 

influence  to  make  Galeazzo  keep  to  the  terms  of  his 
public  treatv.  This  appeal  was  received  with  stony 
indifference.  Carrara,  who  believed  that  both  \  emce 
and  \  isconti  were  actuated  by  motives  of  personal 
hatred  against  himself,  resigned  in  favour  of  his  son, 
Francesco  the  Younger,  and  retired  to  Freviso. 

Hut  his  departure  did  not  improve  matters,  and 
his  son  was  soon  obliged  to  surrender  Padua  to  the 
allies,  on  condition  of  receiving  a  safe  conduct  for 

O 

himself  and  his  retinue  to  visit  Pavia  and  return. 
1  his  was  given,  and  oath  was  taken  on  the  Blessed 
Sacrament  that  it  should  be  respected.  He  went  to 
Milan,  and  was  well  received,  and  it  appears  that  he 
acted  the  part  of  a  man  delighted  with  his  treatment, 
and  onlv  anxious  to  be  pleased  and  amused.  It  is 
almost  needless  to  sav  that  before  long  he  was  plotting 
against  \  isconti's  life,  and  that  \  isconti  discovered 
the  plan,  and  gave  orders  for  his  assassination.  He 
fled  to  1' ranee  with  his  young  wife  1  addea,  but  was 
pursued  bv  \  isconti's  emissaries,  and  embarked  onlv 
lust  in  time  to  save  himself  and.  'her.  She  was  soon 
to  become  a  mother,  and  she  suffered  terribly  from  the 
rough  sea.  Carrara  and  she  landed;  she  was  placed 
upon  an  ass  and  he  walked  by  her  side,  while  the 
small  \tssel  kept  in  sight  of  the  shore.  And  so  thev 
proceeded,  embarking  again,  and  once  more-  going 
ashore  as  a  fresh  gale  began  to  blow.  1  hev  came 
along  the  Riviera,  well  knowing  that  thev  were  tracked 
In  \isconti;  once,  at  Torhio,  thev  were  warned  bv 
a  friendly  person  not  to  enter  the  town,  and  the\ 


42«S  (CLEANINGS    FROM    HISTORY 

sle-pt  in  a  half-ruined  church  In  the  sea-shore.  At 
\  entimiglia  tin-  little  partv  excited  the  suspicions  of 
the  Podesta  and  Carrara  was  arrested,  after  having 
succeeded  in  placing  his  \\ite  in  satetv  on  hoard  the 
vessel,  hut  was  released  a^ain,  because  In  good  fortune 
the  ofHcer  who  arrested  him  had  once  ser\ed  his  tathe-r. 
So  the\'  went  on,  through  countless  adventures,  some- 
times disguised  as  German  pilgrims,  some-times  hare'v 
eluding  \  isconti's  search  In  hiding  m  bushes  In  the- 
roadside;  the\'  even  slept  in  a  stable.  I  hev  snip-lit 
ret u IK-  in  Horence  and  stave-el  there  a  while,  went  on 
to  Bologna  and  were  refused  all  assistance;  and  at 
last  the  fallen  jinnee-  received  oHe-rs  to  |om  the-  righting 
hand  of  John  Hawkwooel,  the-  Knghsh  condottiero. 
lie  almost  reached  \e-mce-,  ami  \\as  \\ithm  a  stone-'s 
throw  of  Padua,  then  we-nt  back  to  Florence,  ami  was 
suelele-nlv  e-le\  ated  to  the  eligmtv  of  Ambassador  from 
the-  Florentines  to  the  Duke-  of  Bavaria,  whose  sister 
had  be-e-n  the-  wife-  of  the-  mui'deivd  Bernabo  \iscoiili. 
and  rlu-  mother  of  the-  right] ul  but  imprisoned  lu-ir  to 
tin-  dukedom  of  Milan. 

Ir  is  not  within  the  province  of  this  work  to  narrate 
these  \\ild  adventures  in  de-tail.  It  is  enough  to  sav 
that  the  struggle  he-twee  n  the  several  parties  was  carried 
on  tor  vears,  \\ith  no  scruple  ami  little  humamtv. 
I  he  pnlicv  of  the  different  <^>\  e-rnnu-nts  shitted  con- 
tinualb,  ;  after  allvniL!  herself  with  \  isconri,  \  enice- 
soon  be^aii  to  pint  ai^ainst  him,  |iidgm<i  tliat  a  ruined 
neighbour  like-  Carrara  \\ould  be  safer  than  one  too 
powerful,  as  Giovanni  Gule-a/./n  was  Liro\\ino  to  be; 


YKMCK  IX  FIFTKKXTH  CKX'ITRY     429 

ami  so  the  fugitive  couple  was  taken  into  favour 
again  bv  the  Republic.  Although  \  isconti's  military 
governor  in  Padua,  when  Carrara  came  to  take  his 
own  again,  sent  him  word  that  a  man  must  be  a  tool 
who,  having  left  the  house  bv  the  door,  expected  to 
re-turn  In  the  window,  yet  Carrara  soon  got  the  better 
of  him  bv  the  help  of  \  enice  and  the  Duke  of  Bavaria. 
\\  hat  is  most  ama/.mg  in  the  history  of  the  Italian 
principalities  and  republics  is  that  any  one  of  them 
should  ever,  under  any  circumstances,  have  believed 
in  the  promises  made  by  any  other.  An  open  treaty 
was  almost  always  supplemented  by  a  secret  one  of  a 
preciselv  contrarv  nature;  oaths  ratified  upon  the  faith 
of  the  Blessed  Sacrament  were  broken  as  lightly  as 
lovers'  vows;  the  safe  conduct  given  by  a  prince  or 
a  republic  was  generally  the  prelude  to  an  assassina- 
tion ;  and  governments  had  not  even  that  temporary 
regard  tor  their  obligations  which  is  vulgarly  described 
as  honour  among  thieves,  \\riters  of  history  have 
accustomed  us  too  long  to  consider  that  these  vices 
of  medieval  Italian  diplomacy  were  manifestations  of 
the  deepest  craft  and  of  the  most  profound  subtlety, 
and  we  have  been  taught  to  look  upon  Macchiavelh 
as  a  master  in  the  art  of  political  dissimulation. 
Men  of  northern  extraction  \\ho,  bv  the  accidents  of" 
birth,  education,  and  long  acquaintance,  arc-  thoroughly 
acquainted  with  the  Latin  character,  cannot  but  smile 
at  such  a  judgment.  In  all  ages,  Latins,  and  especially 
Italians,  have  deceived  each  other,  but  have  rarely 
succeeded  in  deceiving  us.  J  he  wiles  of  C;csar  Borgia 


+.50  GLEANINGS    FROM    HISTORY  xv 

would  nor  have  imposed  upon  an  average  Knglish 
schoolboy.  In  lu-r  diplomatic  relations  with  northern 
Kurope,  Irak'  has  almost  invariably  been  the  victim 
of  that  profound  duplicity  which  rests  upon  a  carefully 
culri\ated  reputation  tor  respecting  the  truth.  Ir  is 
the  man  whose  word  can  generally  be  trusted  who 
possesses  the  greatest  power  ot  deception  when  he 
chooses  to  perjure  himself.  It  was  nor  the  complication 
ot  the  Italian  nature  which  produced  the  complicated 
state  ot  Italian  politics  in  the  fifteenth  and  sixteenth 
centuries,  bur  its  extreme  simplicity,  which  made 
Italian  princes  the  casv  victims  of  the  most  transparent 
deceptions. 

On   the  other  hand,   after  a    lono;   lapse  ot    rime,   and 
m  the  presence  ot  documents  proceeding  from  opposite 

sources,  ir  is  now  so  hard  to  ascertain  the 
r    simple  truth,  that  the  storv  of  the  younger 

Carrara  is  told  in  t\\o  quite  opposite  \\a\s. 

I  he  \ersion  I  ha\e  <nvcn  seem.s  ro  be  the 
-.-.,.  more  reasonable  one;  rhe  other  tells  us 
that  it  was  not  \  isconti,  but  \  emce,  that  persecuted  the 
vouno;  couple,  and  that  it  was  not  \  emce,  but  \  isconti, 
who  in  the  end  recalled  them  to  Padua.  He  that  as 
it  mav.  Carrara  was  once  more  in  possession  ol  his 
principality  m  I ->t;2.  It  seems  to  me  thorough  in 
accordance  with  the  policy  of  \emce  to  ha\e  thus 
installed  him  a^am  at  her  verv  gates  and  under  her 

proti-ction,   in   order  to   crush    him   and    Ins 

tamilv  the  more  effect  uall\',  as  she  soon  atter- 
\\ards   did.      I'ourteen   \'ears   later   \emce   had    hteralb 


xv       VENICE  IX  FIFTEENTH  CENTURY     431 

forced  him  to  declare  war  against  her,  and  had  sent 
the  invincible  Carlo  Zeno  to  command  her  armies; 
the  inevitable  result  had  followed,  and  Carrara  himself 
with  two  of  his  sons  were  prisoners  in  the  ducal  palace. 
The  three  were  condemned  to  death,  and  were  strangled 
in  prison. 

The  private  execution  of  the  noble  prisoners  of  war 
was  not  acknowledged  by  the  government,  and  the  city 
was  gravely  informed  that  the}'  had,  all  three,  died  of 
colds  or  coughs,  vaguely  described  as  catarrh.  But  the 
people  were  not  deceived,  and  were  certainly  not  dis- 
pleased; and  within  twenty-four  hours  a  triumphant 
son";  was  bawled  through  the  streets  of  Venice,  of  which 

O  O 

the  burden  was  'A  dead  man  makes  no  war.'  1  he 
words  have  remained  a  proverb  in  Italy. 

I  he  elder  Carrara,  long  a  state  prisoner  in  Milan, 
had  been  dulv  poisoned  with  'magical  liquors'  by  the 
five  court  physicians  of  Visconti  in  1393.  One  of  the 
vounger  Carrara's  younger  sons  died  in  Florence  very 
soon  after  his  father,  but  the  fourth  survived  to  be 
murdered  in  his  turn  nearly  thirty  vears  later. 

I  find  in  S medley's  Sketches  from  Venetian  H istorv  a 
very  curious  and  interesting  note  with  regard  to  him 
and  to  the  disappearance  of  his  race. 

The  familv  name  of  Carrara,  like  that  of  the  Scottish 
Macgregors,  was  proscribed.  A  branch  of  the  House  which 
still  (  1831)  exists,  or  did  exist  not  long  a<j;o,  at 
Padua,  was  compelled  to  adopt  the  name  of 
Pappa-fava,  a  Mhriqm't  the  origin  of  which  has 
been  traced  as  follows  bv  Gataro.  Marsilietto  da  Carrara, 


432          (il.F.ANINCS    FROM    HISTORY  xv 

Si^nor  of  Padua  tor  OIK-  short  month  before  his  assassina- 
tion, in  i  -J45,  when  a  ho\,  was  lodged,  during  a  Pestilence 
which  la^ed  in  the  Capital,  in  a  Monastery  at  IJrondolo. 
1  Now  in  all  the  iM'eat  religious  houses  it  is  an  ancient 
custom  to  have  vegetable  broth  at  dinner  everv  dav  ot  the 
week.  On  Monday  it  is  made  ot  beans)  /</.'v),  on  Fuesdav  ot 
haricots,  on  Wednesday  of  chick-peas,  and  so  on.  Marsilietto 
was  so  tond  ot  beans  that  it  always  appeared  a  thousand  years 
to  him  till  the  Monday  came  round,  and,  when  it  did,  he 
dexoured  the  beans  with  such  delight  as  was  a  pleasure  to 
behold.  lie  was,  then-tore,  nicknamed  Pappa-firca  (  Hean- 
iilutton)  b\  the  rest,  and  his  descendants  ha\  e  retained  the 
name.' 

1  he  threefold  murder  ot  the  Carrara,  tor  it  was 
nothing  else,  must  In-  regarded  as  the  first  result  ot  the 
continental  development  or  \  en  ice  after  the  war  ot 
Chioggia,  a  development  which  brought  her  into  closer 
contact  with  a  number  ot  thoroughly  unscrupulous 
princes  and  governments.  It  her  misdeeds  can  be 
condoned  at  all,  it  must  be  upon  that  ground;  but 
1  find  it  impossible  to  a<n'ee  with  Mr.  lla/htt,  the 
author  ot  a  recent  valuable  history  entitled  7/v  /  I'lirtian 
l\!  />n/r<! i,  ,  in  considering  that,  on  the  \\  hole,  Carrara  had 
something  like  a  tair  trial,  ami  deserved  his  fate.  I  lie 
whole  hndv  ot  (\uleiHH-  <j;oes  to  show  that,  tor  his  rimes, 
he  was  an  exceptionally  frank  and  courageous  prince-, 
and  much  ot  the  so-called  proof  that  was.  used  against 
him  in  the  end  was  obtained  hv  the  merciless  application 
of  torture.  Mr.  I  la/htt's  real  lo\  e  ot  \  en  ice  has,  I  think, 
prejudiced  him  too  much  m  her  )a\oiir  in  this  instance, 
and  hi.s  attectionate  mdustrx'  has  discovered  evervthin<i 


VKMCE  IN  FIFTKKXTH  CKNTURV     433 

that  can  be  said  in  her  defence,  without  bestowing  the 
same  care  on  a  fair  statement  of  the  other  side.  In 
a  similar  \vav,  a  little  farther  on,  he  speaks  of  the 
outrageous  condemnation  of  Carlo  Zeno  to  a  year's 
imprisonment  as  an  act  not  unjustifiable,  because  if 
was  proved  that  Zeno  had  actually  received  a  small 
sum  of  money  from  Carrara;  but  Mr.  Ha/litt  passes 
over  Zeno's  defence  in  silence.  I  he  invincible  warrior 
admitted,  indeed,  that  he  had  received  the  money,  but 
his  explanation  was  perfectly  simple  and  honourable, 
lie  had  lent  the  little  sum  to  the  prince  when  the  latter 
had  been  an  outcast,  wandering  through  Italy  with  his 
voung  wife,  and  Carrara  had  repaid  the  money  when  he 
had  regained  Padua.  Zeno  was  over  seventy  years  of 
age  at  the  time  when  he  was  condemned  to  a  year's 
imprisonment  in  a  dungeon  for  this  act  of  charity  and 
its  consequences;  he  was  the  bravest  and  truest  \ene- 
tian  of  his  times;  he  had  saved  his  countrv  from  destruc- 
tion, and  had  served  her  with  the  most  perfect  integrity 
under  the  most  trving  circumstances,  and  more  than 
once  in  the  face  of  her  basest  ingratitude;  he  reaped 
the  reward  which  fell  to  the  share  of  almost  everv 
distinguished  \  enetian,  for  he  was  feared  bv  the  govern- 
ment, hated  by  the  fellow-nobles  whom  he  had  out- 
stripped in  honour,  and  condemned  by  men  who  were 
not  worthy  to  loose  the  latchet  of  his  shoes.  And  he 
was  convicted  on  account  of  a  paltrv  sum  of  three 
hundred  ducats,  lent  to  a  wanderer  in  distress  and  dulv 
returned  —  he,  who  had  given  thousands  from  his 
own  resources  to  satisfy  the  demands  of  the  sordid 


4,u  (il.l.AMNCS    FROM    HISTORY  xv 

mercenaries  whom  \emce  had  employed  in  rhe-  war  of 
Chioggia  !  In  trying  to  make-  our  that  IK-  was  trcate-el 
with  justice-,  Mr.  lla/lirr  atte-mpts  to  prove-  too  much. 
In-tore'  (putting  a  point  to  which  I  shall  nor  re-turn, 
le-r  me-,  however,  testitv  to  the-  value-  ot  Mr.  Ha/.htt's 
work,  anel  to  rhe-  urcat  and  useful  industry  with  which 
IK-  has  consulted  and  accurately  (]uote-d  a  numhe-r  ot 
authorities  nor  only  inaccessible  to  the-  ordinary  re-ade-r, 
hut  rarely  mentioned,  and  in  some-  case-s  not  at  all.  in 
such  historians  as  Daru,  Romamn,  anel  e-ve-n  Sismondi. 

1  he-  ste-rn  instice-  ot  torme-r  da\'s  degenerated  into 
cold  cruelty  in  the  fifteenth  e'e-nturv.  \\he-n  the- 
Republic  se-t  a  jince-  on  the-  he-ads  ot  Carrara's  r\\o 
vounjie-st  sons,  atte-r  \aml\  atte-mptin^  to  i^e't  possession 
ot  their  pe-rsoiis  In  diplomatic  me-ans.  the\'  \\e-rr  me-ri- 
bo\  s. 

\\he-n   /c-no   was   c;dle-el    he-fore-   the-   Council   ot     1  i-n 

on    the-    midit    ot    the-    twentieth    ot     |anuar\     1400,    the- 

\\'arrant  tor  his  examination  authorised  the- 


Hut  even  rhe  I  en  he-sitate-d  at  that.  He-  admitted 
and  explained  rhe  matte-rot  the-  nionev  lenr  and  re-paid; 
his  exjilanarions  ot  his  reasons  tor  ha\m^  re-ce-i\ed  and 
talked  with  an  emov  from  I'adua  \\cre  as  honourable' 
as  rln-\  \\ere  clear,  and  the  1  en  being  niereitulK 
inehiK-d  tli.it  mj^ht,  dul  not  procee-el  to  stretch  Ne-niee-'s 
gre-ate-st  hero  on  rlu-  rack,  hut  onlv  condemned  him  to 
the-  l'<i//i  tor  a  \e-ar,  and  to  the  perpetual  loss  ot  all 
otlie'e-s  hi-  he-Id. 

lie    accepted    the    se-ntence    \\irhout    a    murmur,    and 


VENICE  IX  FIFTEENTH  CENTURY     435 

his  frame  ot  steel  did  not  permanently  surfer  trom  rhe 
confinement,  tor  he  iixed  twelve  vears  longer  in  perfect 


health,  made  a  pilgrimage  to  Jerusalem,  was  once  more 
in  command  ot  the  troops  of  the  Republic,  defeated  the 
Cypriotes,  and  died  at  last  in  the  full  possession  of  his 


4.r        (ii.i-:\MN(;s  FROM  HISTORY"         \v 

faculties,    leaxm^   his   name   to   undving  glorv,   and   the 
memorv  ot   ln.s   judges  ro  eternal  shame. 

I  he  \  enetians  had  buried  the  elder  and  the  \  <>un<HT 
C'arrara  \\irh  great  magnificence,  dressed  in  rich  velvet, 
with  their  golden  spurs  on  their  heels  and  their  swords 
bv  their  sides,  \\hen  /.cno  died  at  last,  it  \\as  neces- 
sary that  his  funeral  should  outshine-  at  least  the 
obsequies  accorded  to  the  murdered  foes  of  the 
Republic.  1  he  Doge  and  the  Senate  attended,  and  the 
citi/ens  followed  him  to  his  urave  in  then'  thousands; 
but  it  is  good  to  read  that  what  was  left  of  him  was 
borne  to  us  last  rest  on  the  shoulders  ot  brave  seamen 
who  had  serxed  with  him,  touojit  under  him,  and  >hed 
their  blood  \\ith  him.  lie  lies  in  the  church  of  Santa 
Maria  della  Celestia,  where  vou  mav  sec-  his  tomb  ro 
this  dav. 

An  age  of  transition  is  sure  to  be  an  am-  of  con- 
trasts. One  mav  compare,  for  instance,  the  Doge 
Michel  Steno  with  his  successor,  I  omaso  Mocemgo, 
the  extreme  of  extrax  aLia nee  xxith  the  extreme  of 
econonn ,  the  mcreasmu  indehteilness  of  each  depart- 
ment ot  the  State  with  the  excessixe  se\  entv  of  the 
maiMstrates  whose  dutv  it  \\as  to  \\atch  suspected 
persons;  and  from  the  officials  \\lio  'defended  the 
faith  one  ma\  turn  to  tin-  \xild  band  ot  noble  vouths 
\\  ho  rolled  themselx'c'.s  the  'Compa<j,ma  della  Cal/a,' 
thi  'Hose  Club,'  and  xx  hose  chief  occupation  xxas  to 
a m 1 1 M •  and  be  a m 1 1 s e 1 1 . 

I  !'  laws  \\eiv  hill  of  contrasts,  too.  I  he  Doge 
Michel  Steno,  the  iirst  of  the  fifteenth  centurv,  keit 


VENICE  IN  FIFTEENTH  CENTURY     4.^7 

four  hundred  horses  in  his  stables,  and  by  way  oi  add- 
ing absurdity  to  extras  agance  he  dved  their  MutiHein, 
coats  yellow,  according  to  the  ridiculous 
custom  of  the  tunes.  ^  et  he  was  forbidden  bv  law  to 
bla/on  his  coat-ot-arms  on  the  ducal  palace,  or,  in  tact, 
anywhere  else,  and  he  was  not  allowed  to  have  himself 
addressed  as  '  Mv  Lord.'  1  he  law  required  him  to 
wear  a  mantle  of  roval  ermine,  and  to  provide  his 
servants  with  two  new  liveries  each  year;  vet  he  could 
be  treated  like  a  bov,  and  told  to  be  silent  and  sit  down 
in  Council,  as  actually  happened  to  him  a  tew  years 
after  his  election. 

1  he  story  is  worth  telling.  I  have  spoken  of  the 
' . \\ogadon  del  Commun,'  who  were  officers  ot  con- 
siderable importance  and  power,  and  not  at  tirst  noble. 
1  hey  stood,  in  a  manner,  between  private  individuals 
and  the-  State  in  matters  ot  law,  civil  and  criminal; 
partlv  in  the-  position  ot  a  modern  attorney-general, 
partly  as  representing  the  exchequer,  but  thev  had  a 
right  ot  interference  in  manv  other  matters.  Two  of 
them  were  bound  to  be-  present  at  everv  Council, 
including  that  of  the  1  en,  arraved  in  long  red 
robes,  and  they  had  power  to  suspend  all  judgments 
during  three-  davs  in  cases  which,  it  not  positively" 
criminal,  concerned  the  execution  of  laws  lf.,,,, „,//,•,„/,.,./ 
and  edicts.  1  hough  at  first  not  nobles, 
and  perhaps  tor  that  very  reason,  it  had  always  been  their 
business  to  act  as  a  Heralds'  Office  for  the-  purpose  of 
examining  into  all  title's  of  nobility  and  claims  for 
seats  in  the  Grand  Council. 


(il. I-;. \M\CS    FROM    HISTORY  xv 


10 


\o\\  it  happened  on  the  second  of  June  in  14 
that  a  certain  noble  called  Donato  Michiel  proposed 
the  repeal  ot  a  Ia\\  which  had  been  approved  six 
vcars  earlier  hv  the  (ireat  Council;  the  .\\ogadon 
opposed  the-  motion,  ami  accused  the  patrician  ot 
encroaching  on  their  rights.  But  the  Doge  Steno, 
agreeing  with  tin-  noble,  lost  bis  temper,  and  spoke 
sharplv  to  the  .\\ogadon.  Now  tlu-  ducal  oath  tor- 
bade  the  Doge  to  speak  in  defence  ot  am  one  unless  he 
could  obtain  pei'inission  to  do  so  from  tour  out  ot  six 
ot  bis  counsellors.  I  hive  ot  the  latter  now  tried  to 
call  him  to  order,  but  he  would  not  listen  to  them. 
'  Messer  Do^e,'  the\  then  said  bluntb,  'let  vour 
Serenity  sir  do\\  n  and  be  silent,  and  leave  tin  Avo- 
gadon  quite  free  to  do  their  dun  ! 

I  \\  o  other  counsellors  now  took  tin-  Doge's  side, 
and  he  went  on  talking;  whereupon  the  \\ogadon 
imposed  on  him  a  tine  and  threatened  to  bruin;  an 
action  against  him.  Both  parties  LMVU  more  and  more 
obstinate-,  and  the  quarrel  lasted  several  davs,  until 
some  intelligent  persons  discovered  that  the  Doge  had 
not  broken  bis  ducal  oath,  because  the  \vogadon  had 
not  vet  formallv  made  accusation  against  Donato 
Mi-'  !M  1.  so  that  what  the  Done  had  said  had  not  been 
m  ill  ;  in  i  o)  anv  one.  there  bein^  no  legally 
acciiM  d  person,  but  as  a  Lu-neral  statement  ot  opinion; 
and  in  this  wav  the  atfair  was  patched  up  without 


VENICE  IN  FIFTEENTH  CENTURY     +w 

thing  of  its  pristine  vigour,  and  the  germs  of  internal 
corruption  were  retarded  in  their  growth  for  a  time. 
Mocemgo  was  as  austere,  as  prudent,  and  as  active  as 


i  i 


'^*2''»^.ri 


^iM^f^^S^         W'lfW 

•  :.:f  w  "^Btofe^^^ 

jt         ;--"wv,    .,;„          L     "'ffS        .--sA^^*<";/->R  ",  ;'H       :"      ' 

'I  ^•www.wg.^L^         ^  -  :-  ^r*  Jl^  I?  .;O:: -\.  :.-j 


Aw;v>  ,«•.-- "i;     \'.  -,:   r'4v  •  fr^—'^i**r     ^ 

V^iiaJ.M       J?V     "1-         -      -uSsfL1-*"^         --5 
vVniff  \ux^s«Jk.  -"..••- .'^  «:i£j«.  »,T  ;  -      ^ 


Steno  IKK!  been  t-\tra\  agant,  hot-tempered,  and  careless. 
\  1'iiice  no\\  Hnallv  obtained  possession  of  I' null  and 
Dalmatia,  \\hich  made  her  mistress  of  the  Adriatic  as 
far  as  Corfu. 


440          (iLKAXIXGS    FROM     HISTORY  xv 

Moccni»M>  was  a  man  ot  iron  will  and  inflexible 
principle.  Nothing  gives  a  clearer  idea  ot  his  character 

than    his    o\\  n    recapitulation    ot    his    nine    \  ears'    reign, 
\\hen    he    lav    dvmg  ot   old    age. 

(  )n  his  deathbed  he  assembled  about  him  the-  prin- 
cipal othcers  ot  the-  Republic,  and  drew  a  clear  picture 
of  the  condition  ot  the  country  at  tin-  end  ot  his 
administration,  giving  his  hearers  at  the  same  time 
\  aluable  ad\'ice  as  to  the-  election  ot  his  successor,  which 
thev  unfortunately  did  not  follow.  1  quote  the  speech 
in  hill:  - 


granted  me  as  much  pre-eminence  ami  a.>  maiu  honours  as  can 
he  con  t erred  upon  one  ot  her  citi/,ens,  and  although  I  have  a  1  \vavs 
hecn  dc\oted  to  nu  countr\'  \vith  nu  lifr  and  \\'ith  siirh  jiooi' 
means  a^  toi  tuiit.1  ^a\  r  mr,  \  rt  I  know  that  lu  thi>  I  ha\f  not 
M-paii!  c\  rn  a  ^niall  part  ot  all  the  ^ooii  which  I  h:ive  reeeiv  ed  ; 
ancl  !ifin_i  brought  to  a  limit  \\luTi'  1  can  do  no  moiv  tor  nu 
eountr\  ,  it  is  tor  mv  own  satKtaction  that  I  doircd  to  as>emhle 
:  von  here,  thai  I  mi^ht  commcinl  to  vou  thi^  C'hn>tian 
'  it\  and  exhort  v  ou  to  love  \  our  neinhhour>,  and  to  do  ]u>t ice, 
and  to  i  hoox.1  peaci1  and  pre^crvi1  it,  a>  I  ha\c  en(lfa\  oured  to 
do.  In  nu  time  tour  million*  (,t  dr!u>  ha\c  iu'cn  paid  of},  and 
there  are  other  -ix  millions  o\\-m2,  \\'lneh  delit  was  incurred  tor 
the  war*  ot  Padna,  \  icen/a,  and  \erona;  \\-eha\e  paid  everv 
six  months  t\\o  instalment  s  of  the  debts,  and  ha\  e  paid  all  nu 
otfi (.•(.'!'>  and  rc'iiiments.  I  his  uiir  eit\  no\\-  sends  nut  in  the 
\va\  ol  husincss  to  ilinVivm  parts  nt  the  world  ten  millions  ot 
ducats'  \\ovth  \earl\  In  ships  and  ;_ralle\s  and  the  profit  is  not 


VFA'ICK  IX  FIFTKKNTH  CKNTl'RY     441 

less  than  two  million  ducats  a  vear.  In  this  citv  there  are 
three  thousand  vessels  of  one  to  two  hundred  'antore'  (Vene- 
tian renter  of  capucitv)  with  seventeen  thousand  seamen; 
there  are  three  hundred  larger  ship-,  with  ei^ht  thousand  sailors. 
Every  year  there1  go  to  sea  tortv-tive  galleys  with  eleven  thou- 
sand sailors,  and  there  are  three  thousand  ship's  carpenters  and 
three  thousand  caulkers.  There  are  three  thousand  weavers  of 
>ilk  and  sixteen  thousand  weavers  of  cotton  cloth  ;  the  houses 
are  estimated  to  he  worth  seven  millions  and  hftv  thousand 
ducat>.  The-  rent>  are  live  hundred  thousand  ducats.  There 
are  one  thousand  noblemen  whose  income  IN  from  seven 
hundred  to  tour  thousand  ducats,  If  vou  go  on  in  this 
manner,  vou  will  increase  from  good  to  better,  and  vou 
will  be  the  masters  of  wealth  and  Christendom  ;  everv  one  will 
tear  \ou.  Hut  beware,  as  vou  would  be  of  tire,  of  taking  what 
belongs  to  others  anil  of  wa^in^  unjust  war,  for  God  cannot 
endure  tho>e  error>  in  princes.  Kvcrv  one  knows  that  the  war 
with  the  Turk.-,  has  made  vou  brave,  and  experienced  of  the  sea; 
\ou  have  Nix  generals  tit  to  tight  anv  great  armv,  and  for  each 
of  the^e  you  ha\e  Nea-captams,  slingers,  officers,  boatswains, 
mate^,  and  rower-,  enough  to  man  one1  hundred  galleys;  and  in 
thoe  \'ears  you  have  shown  distinctly  that  the  world  considers 
vou  the  leader-,  of  Christianity.  ^  ou  have  main'  men  experi- 
enced m  embassies  and  in  the  Liovernment  of  cities,  who  are 
accomplished  orators.  You  have  many  doctors  of  dners 
sciences,  and  especially  many  lawyers,  wherefore  numerous 
foreigners  come  here  for  judgment  of  their  differences,  and 
abide  hv  your  verdicts.  ^  our  mint  coins  even  year  a  million 
ilucatN  of  (TO  Id  and  two  hundred  thousand  of  silver;  it  also 
coin-,  yearlv  enht  hundred  thousand  ducat>'  worth  between 
*•  <jTo>--ett  i,  me/./anmi,  and  soldoni.'  Fifty  thousand  ducat>  of 
'  LH'ossetti  '  L^o  everv  vear  to  Soria,  and  to  the  mainland,  and 
other  parts  ;  of  '  me/./anmi  '  and  '  soldoni  '  one  hundred 
thousand  ducats;  the  re>t  remain^  in  the  countrv  (X'enice). 


442          GLEANINGS    FROM    HISTORY  \v 

Ni  ou  know  that  the  Horentincs  send  us  each  year  sixteen 
thousand  pieces  ot  cloth,  which  \ve  make  use  of  (in  commerce) 
in  l>arhar\,  in  Fgvpt,  in  Sona,  in  ('\prus,  in  Rhoiles,  in 
Roumama,  in  C  andia,  in  the  Morea,  and  in  Istna,  and  every 
month  the  Florentines  bring  into  this  city  se\ent\  thousand 
ducats'  worth  ot  all  sorts  ot  merchandise,  \vhich  amounts  to 
ciLilu  hundred  ami  tortv  thousand  ducats  \ earK  and  more  ;  and 
the\  take'  hack  1-  rench  woollens,  Catalans,  and  crimson,  and 
tine  corded  wool  and  silk,  s^old  and  sihcr  thread  and  jewellery, 
with  ureat  ad\anta^e  to  the'  city.  Therefore,  he  wise-  in 
'_M>\  ci'miiLi;  such  a  State,  and  he  careful  to  watch  it  and  to  sec 
that  it  is  not  diminished  hv  negligence.  You  must  he  \  crv 
careful  as  to  who  is  to  succeed  in  im  place,  tor  !n  him  the 
Republic  may  have  much  ^ood  and  much  eyil.  Main  of  you 
are  inclined  to  Messer  Marino  C"ara\  cllo,  who  is  a  wort  In  man, 
and  deser\  es  that  honour  tor  his  worthv  (jualities.  Messer 
|- ranct'sco  Hembo  is  a  ^ood  man,  anil  tin1  same  is  Messer 
(  j  i  acorn  o  Fre\  isan  ;  Messer  Antonio  Con  tan  m,  M  essc;  Faust  in 
Michiel,  and  Messer  Alhan  Hadoer,  all  these  are  \\'ise  and 
deserving  Main  are  inclined  to  Messer  Francesco  l-'oscan, 
and  do  not  know  that  he  is  proud  and  untruthful;  he  has  no 
principle  in  his  affairs,  he  has  an  exaggerated  disposition,  he 
grasps  at  much  and  holds  but  little.  If  he  be  I)o'^e  \  on  \\ill 
alwaxs  be  at  \\ai';  he  u'ho  has  tc-n  thousand  ducat-  will  not  be 
master  of  one  thousand,  he  who  has  two  houses  will  not  he  the 
master  of  one;  \<>u  will  spend  L'old  and  sihcr,  reputation  and 
honour,  and  \\'hcic  \ou  arc-  now  the  chiefs,  you  wdl  be  the 
sla\es  of  \our  soldiers  and  men-at-arms  and  of  their  captains. 
I  could  not  resist  the  ilesire  to  tell  \  on  this  opinion  of  mine. 
(  Jod  '.irant  that  \ou  ma\  elect  the  best  man,  and  direct  \ou, 
and  presei'v  e  \  ou  in  peace. 


VKXICK  IX   FIFTFKXTH  CKXTURY     44j 

opposition,  the  electors  chose-  Francesco  1'oscan  to 
succee-d  him,  ami  henceforth  war  with  Milan  he-came  a 
ccrtamtv.  It  \vas  on  the  occasion  of  his  election  that 
the  last  re-mnant  ot  the  people's  right  ot  interference 
was  elone  awav  with.  Hitherto  it  had  he-en  customarv 
to  announce-  each  election  to  the  people,  adding  the 
words  'it  such  be  vour  pleasure.'  I  his  time  the 
High  Chancellor,  who,  it  will  be  remembered,  was 
never  a  noble-,  inquired,  with  a  smile,  what  would 
happen  it  the  people  answered  that  it  was  not  their 
pleasure-.  1  he-  result  was  that  the  formula  was  never 
used  again. 

liut  the-  people  were  easilv  amused  ami  let  the 
noble-s  elo  as  thev  pleased,  even  when,  at  a  later 
date-,  the1  designation  '\enetian  Commonwealth'  was 
abandoned,  and  the-  word  'Signona'  was  officially 
substituted  in  its  place.  1  his,  hterallv  translated, 
means  'lordship,  but  it  has  long  been  a  convenient 
custom  to  make  an  Fnglish  word  ot  it,  as  'Signorv.' 

Some-  ulea  ot  the-  character  ot  Francesco  Foscan  is 
given  bv  the  following  anecdote-.  I  he  (iiustimam 
family  had  built  three-  palaces  on  the-  (irand  Canal,  one 
ot  which  had  be-e-n  sold  as  a  resiele-nce  to  the-  voung 
Duke-  ot  Mantua,  whom  his  brother,  when  dving,  had 
commended  to  tin-  protection  ot  the-  Re-public.  Foscan 
could  not  endure-  the-  thought  that  the-  (  liustmiani  should 
still  nave  two  palaces  finer  than  his  on!v 
one,  and  when  the-  <n>ve-rnme-nt  sold  the- 
third  at  aue'tion  in  i42cX.  In-  bought  it  and  raise-el  it  bv 
building  another  storv  in  orele-r  that  it  imj'ht  outelo 


444 

tlu-  others.  Ir  was  then  s;iul  to  ha\e  three  hundred 
and  sixty-rive  windows,  ;nul  it  was  valued  at  twenty 
thousand  ducats,  sav,  at  fifteen  thousand  pounds 
sterling,  which  was  a  \ast  sum  tor  those-  days. 

Foscan's  iianu-  recalls  dramatic  memories,  and,  to 
trll  tin-  truth,  it  has  frequently  been  taken  in  vain  by 
poets  ami  playwrights,  and  even  In  sonu-  chroniclers 
ami  historians.  Ills  son  facopo  \\'as  not  tile  mart\  r 
In  has  been  represented  to  In-,  nor  \\as  lu-  himself  the 
'Roman  tatiu-r'  ot  the  pla\  .  1  shall  tell  the  true 
story  a  terrible  one  enough,  even  in  its  accurate 
form  after  briefly  re\iewmo;  his  rei^n. 

1  lie  d\ mjj.  Mocenigo  had  not  In-en  altogether  \\ron^ 
in  his  predictions  about  I'oscan,  for  lu-torr  lon^  the 
Republic  \\  as  at  \\  a  r  with  Milan,  as  the  alb'  of  I*  lore  nee, 
ami  was  squandering  moiu-v  and  men  at  a  disastrous 
rate.  I'oscan  undoubtedly  belonged  to  tin-  war  party, 
vet  in  the  true  interests  ot  his  country  he  really  con- 
trolled his  own  tierv  nature  tor  .some  time,  and 
endeavoured  to  maintain  a  neutral  position  with  regard 
to  the  quarrels  of  rhe  \isconti  with  the  Horennnes, 
during  which  it  was  the  constant  aim  of  tin-  latter  to 
break  up  the  alliance  which  was  still  in  force  between 
Milan  and  \  t  n ice. 

(iio\anm  (!alea//o  was  dead.  Ills  eldest  son, 
(  MO  a  nm-  M  a  na ,  had  siiccei-ded  him,  a  maniac  \\'ho  is 
said  to  ha\e  ted  his  hounds  on  human  flesh;  and  In- 
had  been  dethroned  In  I'acmoC'ane,  and  then  massacred 
hv  tin  Milanese,  as  In  iiehb  deserved.  Mis  brother, 
I1  ilipno-Maria,  u  hen  I'acino  (\me  died  childless. 


VENICE  IN  FIFTEENTH  CENTURY     445 

promptly  married  the  hitter's  \vulo\v,  the  unhappy 
Beatrice  da  1  eiula,  in  order  to  inherit  something  of 
1'acmo's  popularity  and  all  of  his  vast  estates.  This 
being  accomplished,  and  not  caring  tor  her  companv, 
;is  she  was  twice  his  age,  he  brought  a  false  accusation 
against  her,  tortured  her  and  sent  her  to  the  scaffold, 
while  she  protested  her  innocence.  Hut  this  was  only 
an  incidental  crime,  and  would  doubtless  have  been 
forgotten  with  a  hundred  others  but  for  the  noble 
bearing  of  the  unfortunate  woman  throughout  the 
tragedy  that  ended  her  lite.  '1  he  historically  important 
fact  is  that  Filippo-Maria  determined  to  recover  every 
inch  of  the  wide  territory  which  had  been  ruled  by 
his  father,  and  that  it  he  had  accomplished  his  end, 
\  emce  would  have  been  required  to  restore  what  she 
had  taken  from  the  Milanese. 

Florence  was  at  that  time  in  one  of  her  only  too 
frequent  phases  ot  ill-luck,  vet  her  hatred  for  the 
\  isconti  was  such  that  she  could  not  resist  the  tempta- 
tion to  right  Milan  under  all  circumstances.  She 
needed  help,  of  course;  above  all,  she-  needed  money, 
and  \  emce  was  the  richest  nation  m  Europe.  As  has 
been  seen,  too,  from  Mocemgo's  dying  speech,  the 
two  States  were  in  close  commercial  relations.  It  WHS 
natural,  therefore,  that  Florence  should  seek  assistance 
ot  \emce;  it  was  equally  natural,  according  to  the  old 
traditions  of  \emce,  that  aid  should  be  refused,  unless 
it  could  be-  <nven  profitably. 

Eoscan  was  for  war,  but  was  not  able  to  influence 
the  Senate  in  favour  of  the  Florentines,  to  whom  he 


4V>          CIT.AMXr.S    FROM    HISTORY  \v 

had    alwavs    In  rn    friendly.      It    \v;is    ;i    stranger   anil    a 
tu^irixt',    a    soldier   ol    fortune   ot    the    highest    physical 


I  ~ru ' •  OT^WW-^-?;.  •;  /;       w2  ', 

'  !,enLfni:"  VM;  iS. 


YFMCF  IN  FIFTFFNTII  CENTURY     447 

I  his    remarkable    man's    real    name    was    Francesco 
Bossone,    an    appellation    derived    from    the    village    in 

which  he  had  been  born  ot  peasant  parents. 

1 1      i      i        i  •        i  i  111     A'"'"-  "'• lo(t- 

tie   had  enlisted  at  an  early  age,  and   had 

attracted  the  attention  and  favour  of  Fihppo-Mana 
\  isconti,  immediately  after  Facino  Cane's  death,  by 
almost  catching  Fttore  \  isconti,  whom  Filippo  wished 
to  murder.  After  this,  Carmagnola's  advance  to  fortune 
was  rapid  and  unchecked.  In  ten  years  we  find  him 
with  the  title  of  Count  of  Castelnuovo,  as  Fihppo's 
governor  over  (icnoa,  married  to  a  widowed  Antoma 
\  iscontu  who  passed  for  a  daughter  of  Giovanni 
(ialea//.o;  and  so  he  prospered,  till  he  had  acquired 
such  wealth  that  he  deemed  it  safe  to  invest  a  part 
of  it  in  foreign  securities.  As  an  especial  favour, 
hv  a  decree  of  the  (Jreat  Council  of  \emce,  he  was 
allowed  to  huv  bonds  of  the  \  enetian  debt  with  his 
money,  a  privilege  rarclv  granted  to  anv  foreigner. 
Before  long  he  had  cause'  to  congratulate  himself  upon 
this  piece  of  fortune,  and  upon  his  own  caution,  which 
had  led  directlv  to  it. 

\  anous  explanations  have  been  given  of  his  disgrace 
with    1'ihppo    \isconti;     it    has    been    said    that    he    lost 
the    prince's    favour    bv    the    calumnies    of    people-    who 
envied  him.      Romamn  savs  Fdippo  grew  suspicious  of 
him,  because  In-  was  too  successful  and  too  popular  with 
the  troops,  and  that  the  enw  of  courtiers  did  the  rest; 
that  on   being  recalled   from  the  governor- 
ship   of    (ienoa    he-    attempted    in    vain    to 
obtain   an  audience  of  the   Duke,  and   did  all   he  could 


44S  GLKAMXGS    FROM    HISTORY  \v 

r<>  iiistifv  himself;  bur  that,  as  lit-  taile-el  altogether,  he- 
\\  ithelrew  to  Piedmont,  and  did  his  best  to  incite  Amadeus 
of  Sa\'o\' against  Filippo;  that  the  latter  then  confiscated 

all  his  possessions,  and  arrested  his  wife-  ami  daughters, 

\\honi    he    held    as    hostages;     and    that,    Hnallv,    Car- 

magnola    went   to   \  enice,    and   ottered    his 

services    and    those-   of    eighty    men-at-arms 

whom    he    had    with    him,   the-    Republic   being   then   on 

the   eve   ot    yielding   to   the   entreaties   ot    Horence   and 

declaring  war  on  \  isconti. 

I  he  plain  truth  ot  all  this  seems  to  be  that 
Carmagnola  \\'as  an  unprincipled  scoundrel,  who  meant 
to  be  on  the  winning  side  whatever  happened,  and 
\\  ho,  bcin<^  very  well  informed,  tore-saw  that  a  league 
was  about  to  be  made-,  with  \enice  at  its  head,  which 
\\oulel  be  in  a  position  to  ele-tv  his  old  master.  I  he 
latte-r,  of  course,  tried  to  poison  him  hv  secre-t  agents, 
\\lio  tailed,  we-re-  caught,  and  were  clulv  tortured  and 
handed  In  the  Venetian  go\ernnu-nt,  winch  rook  the 
diplomatic  precaution  ot  not  mentioning  the  Duke 
ot  Milan  in  the-  rase-.  I  here  is  a  sameness  about 
the  iTinu-s  of  the  \isconti  which  makes  them  almost 
tiresome;  Carmagnola  was  bolder  and  <|iiite  as  pro- 
found, but  the  habit  ot  superiority  in  actual  righting 
made  him  underestimate,  in  the-  end,  tin-  cool  prudence 
ot  \emcc  and  the-  inanv-sidcd  duphcit\'  of  tin-  Duke. 
\enice  acceptc-d  the  ad\enture-rs  oiler,  and  soon 
afterwards  plaeed  him  in  commanel  of  he-r  land  arnu  ; 
and  before-  l<>n<_>  Moe'emgo's  prediction  was  fulfilled, 
and  the  Republic  was  reduced  to  something  like  slavery 


xv       VENICE  IN  FIFTEENTH  CENTURY     449 

under  rlu-  iron  hand  of  the  captain  she  had  hired.  lie, 
on  his  part,  plaved  a  double  game  from  the  first,  and 
made  up  his  mind  that  if  he  must  heat  his  old  master, 
he-  would  hurt  him  as  little  as  he  could  in  so  doing,  and 
would  trv  to  renew  secret  and  triendlv  relations  with 
him  while  acting  as  the  Republic's  general. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  the  Doge  I'oscan  made  a 
speech  in  favour  of  the  Florentine  alliance,  which  was 
first  published  In  Romamn.  It  bears  the  stamp  of  ;; 
Aniline  report,  and  much  of  it  is  in  the  \  enetian 
dialect.  Foscari  argued  that  unless  \enice  would  hei;> 
Florence,  the  latter  would  shortly  be  annihilated  by 
\isconti,  who  would  then  proceed  at  once  to  thj 
destruction  of  \emce  herself.  He  referred  incident- 
all}'  to  a  speech  just  made  bv  Carmagnola,  and  assure.; 
the  Republic  that  under  such  a  general's  leadership 
there  was  nothing  to  fear,  whereas  there  was  great  hope 
<>}  extending  the  boundaries  of  the  Republic-.  He 
\\ound  up  in  saying  that  \isconfi  aspired  to  rule  all 
I  tab',  despised  reason,  both  human  and  dmne,  ami  was 
always  taking  other  men's  property  by  fraud  ami 
deception;  and  I'oscan  called  upon  the  \enetians  re 
help  m  crushing  a  common  enemy,  for  the  perpetual 
peace  of  all  Italy. 

I  he  speech  is  hot  and  warlike.  Nevertheless 
Romamn,  three  pages  farther  on,  declares  that  it  is  a 
threat  injustice  to  accuse  I'oscan  of  having  promoted 
war,  and  complains  that  historians  have  made  the  Dooy 
the  scapegoat  to  bear  the  blame  of  all  the  wars  in  which 
\emce  then  became  involved.  But  Romanin  was  not 
VOL.  i.  —  2  c. 


450          GLEANINGS    FROM     HISTORY          xv 

or.lv  an  enthusiastic  \cnetian;  he  was  also,  to  some 
extent,  the  apologist  of  the  elder  Foscan. 

1  lie  ratification  ot  the  league  was  announced  at  the 
end  ot  January  1420,  and  Carmagnola's  definite  com- 
mission dates  troni  the  nineteenth  ot  February.  He- 
proceeded  to  besiege  the  fortresses  ot  Brescia,  allowed 
the  Florentine  general  to  plan  the  reallv  astonishing  en- 
trenchments, looked  on  while  the  machinery  of  attack 
„•  was  set  in  motion,  and  departed  to  follow 
-  a  long  cure  ot  baths  at  Abano,  verv  much 
.,  ,  ,.  to  the  disgust  ot  the  Republic.  He  came 
back  in  leisurelv  fashion  to  the  scene  of 
action  a  tew  davs  before  the  two  castles  capitulated, 
in  time  to  take  credit  for  the  whole  arhur,  vet  almost 
without  having  struck  a  blow  at  \  isconti. 

Meanwhile  Francesco  Bemho  had  transported 
another  force  up  the  Po  in  a  flotilla  of  small  vessels, 
and  farther  still  up  the  river  Adda,  and  had  actuallv 
made  a  demonstration  before  Pa\ia,  in  the  lu-art  of 
\  isconti's  dominions.  I  he-  Duke  having  failed  to 
poison  Carmagnola,  tried  to  burn  down  the  \enetian 
arsenal  b\"  treachery,  which  was  discovered,  and  his 
\\tvtched  aiM-nt  was  tortured  to  death  in  due  form. 

Pope-  Martin  \  .,  who  \vas  a  Colonna,  and  therefore  a 
<  Ihibelhne  the  onlv  ( Ihibelline  pope  who  ever  reigned 

was  the-  one  sovereign  in  Italv  who  still  favoured 
\  iM'onti.  and  he  no\\  intervened  to  make  peace.  A 
trean  was  patched  up  bv  which  the  Duke  lost  a  good 
dt  ;il  of"  rerritorv,  and  was  bound  to  set  at  liberty  the 
uite  and  daughters  of  Carmagnola  I  his  was  the  peace 


VKNICK  IX  FIFTEENTH  CKNTURY     451 

of  1426,  concluded  on  the  thirtieth  of  December. 
Little  more  than  a  month  later,  on  the  fifth  of  February 
1427,  the  Republic  sent  tor  Carmagnola  again,  for  the 
Duke  had  simply  refused  to  hand  over  the  fortresses  he 
was  to  yield  by  the  treaty,  and  on  the  twenty-fourth 
of  March  Carmasnola  and  his  wife  made  a  sort  of 

o 

triumphal    entry    into    the    city. 

In    the    campaign    which    followed,    though    for    the 
most  parr  pursuing  his  policy  of  inactivity,  in  spite  of 
the  protests  of  the  Senate  and  the   Doge,      oct.n,ij2T. 
Carmajniola  condescended  to  win  a  battle 

magnola  at  Ma- 

for  Venice-  ar  Macalo,  which  it  must  be  caio,  Francesco 
admitted,  for  his  reputation,  was  a  brilliant  '  Haiioftke* 


\ictorv;  and  he  soon  asked  leave  to  go  and 
take  more  baths,  as  if  the  whole  affair  were  perfectly 
indifferent  to  him.  To  this  the  Senate  objected,  but 
he  was  given  all  manner  of  rich  compensation  for  his 
services,  and  came  to  Venice  on  leave.  He  was  received 
with  an  ovation. 

lie  had,  indeed,  been  opposed  to  some  of  the 
LMeatest  condottien  of  the  time,  such  as  Francesco 
Sfor/.a  and  Piccinmo,  and  the  \  enetians  seem  to  have 
valued  him,  because  they  were  convinced  that  he  could 
beat  am  opponent  if  he  pleased,  and  only  required 
gifts  arid  flatterv  to  rouse  him  to  action. 
1  hese  were  lavished  on  him,  and  a  second 
peace  with  \  isconti  was  concluded  in  April 
1428,  about  fourteen  months  after  the 
first.  ft  was  ratified  and  announced  in  Mav,  and 
again  Carmagnola  entered  Venice  in  triumph.  He  was 


;5->  (II- K \\1\CS    1-ROM    HISTORY'  xv 

m>\\    tormallv  mxcsted   with  flu-  great  feudal  estate  ot 

C'llia  I'l. 

\s  \\;is  ro  In-  expected,  V  isconn  again  tailed  to  fulfil 
Hie  conditions  ot  the  treaty,  and  within  three  years 
hosnhries  broke  our  again.  In  tin-  ama/ement  and 
mortification  ot  the  \enetian  goxi-rnnK-nr,  however, 
Carmaii;:iola  no\\  resigned  his  commission,  almost  at  the 
monu-nr  \\lu-n  IK-  was  to  ha\c  takc-n  command,  and 
r!u n-  i.s  reason  to  believe  that  he-  was  even  then  secretly 
nriMiriarmo;  \\irh  \  isconn.  Inir  tin-  Republic  could  nor 
atlord  ro  lose  such  a  man  ar  such  a  monu-nr ;  In-  \\as 
offered  conditions  which  must  ha\e  surpassed  e\en  his 
o\\  n  tolerahk'  lar^e  c-xpectations.  Nor  onl\-  \\-as  he  ro 
p()^s^^s^  tor  himself  and  all  his  descendants  the  <M~ear 
estate  of  Onan.  \\irh  its  i\-ntal,  but  anotlu-r  lar^e  feudal 
holding  in  tin-  tc-rntorv  of  l>rescia  \\as  promised  him 
on  the  Name  conditions;  if  all  Lombardv  \\'i-re  takc-n. 
he  was  promised  the  complete  restitution  of  all  thc- 
domains  \\hich  \isconti  had  formerh1  bestowed  upon 
him;  .ill  plunder  and  all  prisoners  of  war  \\civ  ro  be 


;ich  p !'i>o i u- r  ot  iniiiorraiH'(  whom  he  handed  over  to  the 

i 

IO\  eminent;    as  it   r!n^  \\ere  nor  enough,   In-  was  to  be 

n>\\ne-l   l)uke  nt    Milan  it  he-  could  dn\c-  our  \  IM'OIHI. 

''.'lit     these    astomshmsj;   otters    were    bemjj   made-   to 

h\    \c-mce,  he    i"ecc-i\c-d    more-  than    one'  letter  from 

l)uke.    retpicsMnij.    him    to    act    as    an    intermediary 

peace.       I  hiv  tact  was,  of  course,  soon   known 

rlu     \ciu-rian     Lio\ernnient,    and    \\e    can    hai'db    be- 

•-!irpn--ed   that   the   Venetians  should   n<>t   ha\e   liked   the 


xv       YKMCK  IN  FIFTKKNTH  CENTURY     45^ 

part  which  the  Duke  was  thrusting  upon  a  man  who 
had  betrayed  him,  and  whom  he  should  have  con- 
sidered as  his  worst  enemy. 

Mr.  Horatio  Brown  has  con  lectured  \\ith  ;n'eat 
acumen  that  Yisconn,  who  thoroughly  understood  tin- 
character  of  Carmagnola,  as  well  as  that  ot  //  //,  .ti 
the  \  enetian  government,  chose  the  surest 
means  ot  ruining;  the  condottiero  ot  whom  he-  wished 
to  be  rid.  Carmagnola,  equally  Battered  bv  the  Duke's 
secret  letters  and  bv  the  overwhelming  otters  ot  the 
Republic,  began  to  assume  airs  ot  superionrv  which 
could  not  but  excite  the  suspicion  ot  a  government 
whereof  suspicion  itself  was  the  verv  foundation  and 
mainspring. 

A  series  ot  discussions  now  began  bet\\een  tin- 
Senate'  and  V isconti,  in  which  Carmagnola  \\as  con- 
tmuallv  concerned,  but  it  w;>s  soon  the  gossip  ot  the 
citv  that  the  letters  which  he  reallv  sent  to  the  Duke 
were  bv  no  means  identical  with  the  drafts  ot  those 
which  he  showed  the  Senate  tor  approbation.  It  is 
at  least  certain  that,  after  war  was  declared,  as  was 
inevitable,  Carmagnola  showed  neither  decision  nor 
energv  when  obliged  to  face  \  isconti's  anm,  and 
allowed  himself  to  be  beaten  bv  Francesco  Sfor/.a,  who 
was  afterwards  himself  Duke  of  Milan,  lie  showed  all 
his  old  energv  in  I1  nub  in  dnvm  -  out  the  Hungarians, 
whom  \isconti  had  induced  to  make  a  descent  upon 
that  terntorv,  but  he  had  no  sooner  come  back  to 
Brescia,  tor  which  \isconti  himself  \\as  righting,  than 
his  hesitation  returned. 


454          GLKAMNGS    FROM    HISTORY  xv 

Smedlev,  in  connection  with  what  now  happened, 
quotes  the  following  remarkable  passage  from  the 
twelfth  chapter  ot  Maechiavelh's  Principe :  '  IVr- 
cei\  in<^  that  Carmagnola  had  In-come  cold  in  their 
service,  thev  vet  neither  wished  nor  dared  to  dismiss 
him,  from  a  tear  of  losing  that  which  he  had  acquired 
for  them;  for  their  own  security,  therefore,  thev  were 
compelled  to  put  him  to  death.' 

1  he  comlotticro  now  received  a  message  from  the 
Si<morv,  requesting  him  'to  give  himself  the  trouhk'' 
of  coming  to  \  emce  to  discuss  a  new  plan  of  campaign. 
Completely  taken  off  his  guard,  he  at  once  left  his  camp 
and  repaired  to  the  capital,  where  he  was  met  In  ei<dit 
nobles,  who  accompanied  him  to  the  ducal  palace, 
telling  him  that  tin-  Do^e  expected  him  to  dinner. 

1  lis  o\\  n  small  escort  was  dismissed  at  the  door,  and  he 
was  ushered  into  a  hall  where  he  waited  a  fe\\  moments. 
1  hen  came  Leonardo  Mocemgo  ami  said  that  the  DOLH- 
was  indisposed,  ami  begged  that  In-  would  come  a^ain 
on  the  following  dav.  Carmagnola  left  the  room, 
followed  bv  the  eiidit  nobles.  In  tin-  cotirtvard  In-  \\as 
about  to  rake  the  direction  which  would  have  led  him 
to  rlu  canal  \\hcrc  he  had  left  his  boat,  when  the  nobli  s 
suddenly  came  up  with  htm  and  pointed  tow  arils  the  small 
porch  under  which  \\  as  the  outer  en r  ra nee  to  r in  prisons. 
I  In-  war.  Sir  Count,'  tin  \  said.  'But  that  is  not 
mv  \\  a  \ •,'  he  answered.  '  ^  ou  a  re  tTiistaki-n.'  thev  said, 
kthis  is  the  best  wa\  .'  \t  the  sann-  moment,  certain 
Liaolers  appi-ared  and  pusln-u'  him  through  tin  door  of 
rhi-  I'''//!.  '  I  am  lost  !  he  cried,  as  he  \\ent  in. 


xv       VEXICK  IX  FIFTKKXTH  CEXTURY     455 
1  his  was  on  the  seventh  of  April.      i  he  manner  of 


:;     v   .vf^^' 


-'  M 
•  T  i  >  Am  ^HS&Ts* 

' 


the    s^eneraTs    arrest    mav   he    excused    for    its    lack    of 


4V1 


(il.KAMNCS    FROM    HISTORY 

b\  the  necessities  of  the  situation.  I  he  man 
was  most  undoubtedly  a  traitor  and  a  villain,  but  it 
\\ould  have-  been  impossible  to  ser/.e  him  in  the  midst 
of  his  o\\  n  men-at-arms,  and  the  most  prudent  manner 
of  netting  possession  of  his  person  was  to  draw  him 
into  an  ambush.  I  he  wise  and  merciful  fathers  of  the 
Republic  would  assuredly  not  have  hesitated  at  much 
worse  rhinos;  onlv  a  few  davs  earlier  thev  had  offered 
twenty-five  thousand  ducats  to  a  man  called  Mua/yo. 
emploved  in  \iscontfs  household,  to  poison  the  Duke. 
I  he  Republic  had  alreadv  tullv  adopted  the  progressive 
metht >ds  ( if  its  dav. 

Carmaimola's  trial  occupied  some  time,  and  was 
conducted  on  the  \\hole  in  a  regular  and  le^al  mamu-r. 
It  bewail  on  rhe  ninth  of  April,  and  on  the  eleventh  the 
once  all-powerful  captain,  to  whom  those  who  were  no\\ 
ills  judges  had  offered  the  dukedom  of  Milan,  was  put 
to  the  torture  like  anv  other  criminal.  On  the  fifth  of 
Ma\  the  (  ouncil  of  I  en  t^ave  its  verdict  as  follows  : 

I  hat    this    Count    Francesco    Carmapnola,    a    public 

traitor   to  our   dominion,   be   led   to-dav,   ;  fter   nones,   at 

the    usual    hour,    with    a     /.i  •    in    his    mouth 

and    with    his    hands    tied    behind    his    back. 

.1    >     itlui'j   to   custom,  between    the    two   columns   of    the 

Sipian    o|   Saint    Mark  s,  to  the  usual  place  of  execution, 

and   that    his    nead    hi    there  struck   off    his   shoulders,  so 


YKMCK  IN  FIFTKKNTH  CKNTl'kY     457 

in   IVeviso.      Provision  was  also  made  for  his  unmarried 
daughters.      As    for    the    one    who    was    affianced    to 


M'\<f,  J.—^S'&L'fr^'^S:  ,_.'.\       ^     .' 


v  EM^w  JF 

Jswitf^iiitakL* 


Siinsmondo  Malatesta,  since-  there  \\as  no  divorce  law 

In   which  he  could  sever  an  alliance-  which  was  odious, 


45N          GLEANINGS    FROM    HISTORY  xv 

hf  adopted  the  simple  expedient  <>t  murdering  her  as 
soon  as  he  had  married  her  and  secured  her  dowry. 

Cannainiola's  hodv  was  dressed  in  crimson  velvet, 
and  on  his  severed  head  was  placed  the  cap  which  still 
hears  his  name-.  1  he  corpse  was  home  to  the  church 
of  San  Francesco  dell  a  \  igna  with  twenty-four  torches, 
hut  as  it  was  about  to  be  buried  there,  the  capuchin 
monk  who  had  received  his  last  confession  appeared  in 
haste  and  said  that  the  dead  man  had  wished  to  be  buried 
in  the  church  ot  the  Fran,  and  he  was  accordingly  laid 
there-,  in  the  cloister.  In  \  emce  it  was  the  custom 
that  the  clothes  of  executed  persons  should  be  given 
to  the-  gaoler,  not  to  the  headsman;  but  in  this  case 
/,.,„.  -  ,,, _,  the  Council  of  I  en  decreed  that  the-  dress 
worn  bv  Carmagnola  should  be-  handed 
over  with  his  bodv  to  the  monks  ot  the-  church  where 
he  was  buried,  the  gaoler  receiving  ten  ducats  as 
compensation. 

I  hs  remains  are  now  interred  in  Milan  beside  those  of 
his  \\ife  Antoma  in  the  greater  church  of  Saint  Francis. 
1  he  historian  Morosim,  quoted  bv  Romamn  in  a  note, 
liidged  from  his  statue  that  he  had  the  hard  face,  the 
cruel  eye,  and,  generally,  the  unpleasant  aspect  which 
denote  a  man  of  dangerous  character  and  stubborn 
purpose;  and  adds  that  he  was  a  person  of  a  keen  wit, 
a  tough  constitution,  and  great  courage-,  but  capricious 
a  ml  <  >f  doubt  t  ul  h<  mestv. 

Carmagnola  s  wife  was  deeply  implicated  in  his 
freachcrv,  as  is  not  surprising  considering  that  she  was 
known  as  the  niece  of  (Iiovanni  (  lalea/./o  Yisconti.  and 


YFMCF  IN  FIFTEENTH  CENTURY     459 

\vns  believed  by  many  to  be  his  daughter.     She  and  her 
children  were  required  to  remain  in  Venice  some  time 


before  proceeding  to  T revise,  and  were  detained  in  the 
convent  of  the  \  ergini,  the  same  religious  house  which 
had  served  as  a  prison  for  two  ladies  of  the  Qmrini 


4'-  (il.KAMXCS    FROM    HISTORY  xv 

familv  moii'  than  a  cenrurv  earlier.  Ir  was  there  that 
the  Countess  received  the  news  of  IHT  husband's  execu- 
rion.  which  \vas  announced  to  her  In  one  of  rhe  heads 
of  rhe  Council  of  I  en  and  an  Avogador;  and  these 
officials  ar  rhe  same-  rune  demanded  of  her  a  list  of  her 
(ewellen',  assuring  her  that  the  Signorv  would  forgive 
her  misdeeds  if  she  would  onlv  show  a  proper  spirit  of 
contrition.  1  find  no  account  of  the  poor  woman's 
behaviour  on  this  occasion;  bur  as  the  sentence  was 
executed  onlv  a  few  hours  after  it  was  passed,  the-  ne\\s 
of  her  husband's  death  on  the  scaffold  was  in  all  likeli- 
hood conveved  to  her  without  am  pre\  ions  nonce-  of 
his  condemnation,  and  it  was  accompanied  bv  a  cold 
request  for  an  inventory  of  her  |ewels,  and  a  lecture  on 
patience  and  repentance.  Kven  rhe  imagination  of  a 
no\  ehst  fails  to  guess  what  she  must  have  felt  as  she 
listened  to  the  <mm  men  who  had  mst  condemned  her 
husband  and  seen  him  die.  and  now  wished  to  be  told 
how  mam  earrings  and  gold  chains  and  brooches  she- 
had  in  her  possession. 

She  afterwards  reallv  retired  to  I  reviso  with  her 
daiiLihtt  rs,  ami  the  Republic  continued  to  pav  her  the 
promised  allowance,  till  she  one  dav  escaped  to  Milan, 
\\hereln  the  obli<iations  of  the  \eiietian  ^o\i-rnmeiu 
\\  ere  ended. 

\\hate\er  \iscontTs  plans  ma\  ha\e  been  \\lu-n  he 
secretb'  renewed  Ins  relations  \\itli  C'armagnola,  whether 
lie  intended  to  eompass  liis  ruin  (>i  nor,  it  is  certain 
that  he  hnterlv  resented  his  execution,  ami  used  even* 
means,  mcludmu  the  most  inhuman  tortures,  to  discover 


xv       VENICE  IX  FIFTEENTH  CENTURY     461 

the  names  of  those  who  had  accused  and  condemned 
the  condottiero.  If  lie  had  succeeded  he  would  no 
doubt  have  tried  to  poison  them  all. 


Not  long  after  Carmagnola  was  imprisoned,  Piccinino, 
one   of    \  isconti's   generals,   captured    in    a   skirmish    at 


462          GLFAXIXGS    FROM    HISTORY'  x\ 

\altcllma  Giorgio  Corner,  a  nohle  and  verv  influential 
\  eiietian,  who  had  acted  as  Provveditor  to  oversee 
Carmagnola's  doings  in  the  held,  lie  was  taken  to 
Mon/a,  near  Milan,  and  confined  there  in  one  of  the 
prisons  called  'Form/  'ovens/  compared  with  which 
the  dreaded  Po/./.i  seem  to  have  been  thought  am 
and  luxurious  quarters.  He  lived  to  write  an  account 
ot  what  he  suffered,  and  I  shall  give  a  literal  translation 
ot  his  words,  not  tor  the  sake  ot  inspiring  horror,  but 
because  the  document  bears  the  unmistakable  stamp  ot 
truth,  and  is  one  ot  very  tew  of  the  kind  which  ha\e 
come  down  to  us. 

Corner   was    first   examined    by   Gaspare   de   Grossis, 
Doctor  ot  Laws. 


I  felt  as  it  mv  soul  were  being  torn  out  of  me,  when  he  said 

that  I  must  speak  the  truth  ;    and  when   1  answered  that  1   hail 

told  it  he  gave  me  a  wrench  ot  the  rope,  and  had 

me    drawn    up    and    brought    to    him    like    dead, 

threatening  me  greatlv,  that   he   would   have  this 

truth;    and  seeing  me   like  dead    he  went   awa\  ,  and    I    was    let 

down  into  the  l  forno  '  bv  a  leathern  belt,  and  was  placed  upon 

a  mattress  on    the    boards,  and    was   (_ri\en   the    \olk    ot    an    egg 

and  a  drink.        I  his  was  mv  dinner,  and   I   was  not    able  to  get 

m\    hand  to  mv  mouth    in  anv  wav  ;    so    I    Ijv    that    night    and 

never  could  sleep.      In  the  morning  came  he  that  watched  me, 

.ind  made  lire,  and  gave    me  the    \olks    ot    two   eggs,  and  with 

these   1   remained  that  dav. 

On  the  next  |-'rida\  morning  he  came  to  me  and  had  me 
bound  and  drawn  up  and  taken  to  him,  asking  it  I  would  tell 
the  truth,  and  when  I  s::id  1  had  told  it,  he  said  he  u  ished  to 
know  who  had  told  the  Signon  about  the  Count  i  Carm.igno1 


VENICE  IX  FIFTEENTH  CENTURY     463 

having  an  understanding  with  rny  Lord  Duke.  I  said  I  knew 
no  one  who  had  made  the  accusation.  Seeing  that  he  could 
get  nothing  else,  he  had  me  fastened  to  the  rope,  and  gave  me 
a  wrench  of  the  rope  that  I  thought  1  was  dying.  Seeing  that 
he  could  net  nothing  more  from  me,  he  made  me  get  up  and 
had  my  arms  set  (they  were  dislocated  by  the  torture),  with 
even  greater  pain,  and  had  me  brought  to  him,  and  he  spoke 
his  mind  (abusively)  and  went  away.  On  the  next  Saturday 
in  the  evening  he  caused  a  bar  to  be  placed  on  the  floor  in  a 
hollow,  and  my  feet  were  put  under  it  and  hammered  upon 
with  a  wooden  pin,  so  that  I  almost  died  of  the  pain.  ()n 
the  last  day  of  December,  which  was  Saint  Sylvester's  clay, 
there  came  to  me  the  aforesaid  Messer  Gaspare,  and  with  him 
came  Lunardo  di  Lunardi,  the  inquisitor  of  Milan,  at  the  hour 
of"  matins,  and  had  me  taken  up.  Let  every  one  guess  how  my 
heart  felt.  1  commended  myself  to  God  and  went  before  them. 
Keing  before  them  Lunardo  asked  me  if  1  knew  him,  and  I 
said:  No.  And  he  answered  me:  Also  I  will  not  leave  thee 
till  I  have  so  wrought  that  thou  shah  know  me;  and  saving: 
Thou  hast  refused  to  tell  the  truth  to  Messer  Gaspare  ;  the 
prince  has  sent  me  to  know  the  truth  of  thee  ;  thou  haclst  best 
tell  it  and  <j;et  his  good  nrace  ;  but  though  thou  wouldest  not 
tell  it,  be  quite  sure  that  thou  shalt  nevertheless  tell  it,  or  thine 
arms  shall  be  left  hanging  to  the  cord  (torn  from  the  body). 
And  with  other  words,  which  1  write  not,  for  hearing  this 
every  one  may  fancy  how  my  heart  felt.  1  answered  that  I 
had  told  the  truth  to  Messer  Gaspare,  and  that  he  (Lunardo) 
ouo-ht  to  be  sure  of  this,  because  if  it  had  been  mv  own  son 
who  had  accused  the  Count  Carmagnola  I  would  say  so  rather 
than  desire  more  torture-,  and  all  the  more  he  should  consider 
that  1  would  do  so  if  it  were-  a  strainer;  and  I  said  the  like 
as  to  what  concerned  the  other  chief  points  (of  the  inquiry). 
Then  Lunardo  said  to  me:  Thou  wilt  not  name  the  real 
traitor ;  he  had  me  undressed  and  fastened  to  the  cord,  etc. 


CLKAMNCS    FROM    HISTORY  xv 

(  )n  the  second  ot  Januarv  Corner  \\;is  told  th;ir 
In-  was  to  !H'  tortured  again,  and  IK-  addressed  his 
tormentors  as  follows  : 

Since  this  is  vour  will,  which  will  soon  he  clone,  I  ask  one 
tiling  »>t  \ou  as  a  LI;  race,  that  >ince  I  am  to  lose  this  hod\  so 
miseruhlv,  I  nia\  not  lose  mv  soul,  and  that  I  mav  confess 
and  i ccci\  e  coiiniuinion,  in  order  that  our  Lord  (jod  nia\  ha\  e 
mcrcv  on  this  poor  soul.  Lunardo  answered  :  I  wish  it  mm  ^. : 
to  tluj  house  of  the  Devil.  Hearing  this  cruel  speech  I  answered 
that  although  fortune  had  LMVCII  him  power  over  the  hod\,  (Jod 
had  not  L.ri\en  him  po\\'er  o\  CM'  the  soul,  and  that  I  hoped,  h\ 
Ills  Lirace,  th.u  it  1  had  ^ood  patience  this  should  he  m\  pur- 
iiatorv,  for  niv  innoeenee' sake  ;  and  that  He  would  receixe  m\ 
soul  into  ilis^lor\,  and  (  I  said):  I  he  more  pain  \  ou  inflict 
on  th  >  wretched  hod\  so  much  the1  more-  merit  will  lie  ui\e 
me,  anil  to  Him  I  commend  nuselt. 

1  he  unhappv  man  \\as  kept  in  prison  six  vears,  and 
\\as  supposed  in  \  emce  to  he  dead,  hut  he  succeeded 
m  sending  a  message  to  his  son.  I  he  Republic  then 
sfernK  demanded  <>f  \  isconti  his  release,  and  he  returned 
to  his  home  at  last,  deformed  In  torture,  pale  and 
emaciated,  \\itli  a  lieard  that  descended  to  Ins  lu-lt.  lie 
lived  Hist  t\\o  months  alter  that,  prematureh'  broken 
In  his  horrible  sutlenn^s,  and  uas  followed  to  hi^  L!,ra\e 

b\    a  vast  concourse  of  the  people.      Romanin  sa\'s  that 

i       i 

lie  uas  a  tit  |ihe\\  ot  the  Doge  Marco  C'orm  r.  \\hose 
bra\e  defence  of  Ins  poverty  and  of  his  burgher  \\ile, 
when  be  uas  a  candidate,  \\ill  be  remembered.  It  is 
more  likelv  that  the  I  )oue  was  the  ljro\  \  editor's  ^reat- 
imcle,  as  he  died  a  \er\  old  man,  more  than  se\  entv 


VENICE  IN  FIFTEENTH  CKNTl'RY     465 

\ears  he-tore-  the  death  of  the  unfortunate  Giorgio.  It 
is  possible,  however,  that  Romanin  may  have  meant 
that  the  latter  was  the  Doge's  grandson,  tor  in  Italian 
there  is  but  one  word  to  signify  'grandson'  or  'nephew,' 
though  when  the  former  meaning  is  intended  it  is  usual 
to  make  it  clear. 

Koscan's  name  is  so  closely  associated  in  most 
persons'  memories  with  the  tragedy  of  his 

^       -       „  Portraits  <>/ 

worthless  son,  that  we  are  apt  to  forget  Doge  Francesco 
that  his  reign  lasted  a  third  of  a  century  auntn't  <•/">'(',. 
and  covered  one  of  the  most  important  #<;//"«',  •!/<«*> 

Civic  o,  Room 

periods   in  \  enetian   history.      It  embraces   xvi.: anther, by 
most   of    the   wars    of    the    league,    the    rise      jt'^^aliu'ra 
and    fall    of  Carmajmola,    the   end    of  the     d>'*'' ' St 

.  ...  -11          -  i       •  i        ducal  palace. 

house  of   \  isconti,  and  the  foundation  and 

elevation  of  the  Sfor/a  family;  and,  most  important  of 

all,  the  taking  of  Constantinople  bv  the   1  urks. 

Much  sentimental  nonsense  has  been  written  about 
the-  two  Foscan,  and  even  such  a  historian  as  Darn  has 
had  the  courage  to  tell  us  that  the-  Doge  presided  in 
the  court  which  condemned  his  son,  and  that  [acopo 
received  his  sentence  from  the  mouth  of  his  own  father. 
Not  content  with  stating  these  impossibilities,  Darn  has 
actually  described  the  scene-,  with  manv  details,  though 
it  could  not,  under  anv  circumstances,  have  taken  place, 
since  a  special  edict  of  the  Council  of  I  en  expressly 
forbade  the  Doge-,  or  anv  member  of  his  fannlv,  to  be 
present  at  the  trial. 

facopo's  troubles  began  soon  after  his  marriage  in 
1441  with  Lucre/ia,  a  daughter  of  Leonardo  Contarini. 

V<  It..    I. .211 


|oo  CI.F  \MN(iS    FROM    HISTORY  xv 

1  lu-  wedding  hail  been  celebrated  with  great  splendour, 
and  the  bride  had  been  conducted  home 
over  a  bridge  especially  built  tor  the 
ceremonv  across  the  (Irani!  Canal;  then- 
had  been  boat-races,  a  tournament  in  which 
the  great  Francesco  S tor/a  himself  took  part,  and  there 
had  been  illuminations  of  the  cm  and  endless  other 
festivities.  I  he  bridegroom  is  said  to  ha\e  been  a 
\crv  cultivated  voung  man  ot  great  personal  charm, 
a  ( ii'eek  scholar,  a  lover  of  poetrv,  and  a  collector  ot 
rare  manuscripts;  but  of  weak  character,  care-less  and 
extravagant.  It  reallv  looks  as  it  his  fate  had  been  tin- 
final  consequence  of  some  momentary  lack  of  means 
wherewith  to  satisfy  his  luxurious  tastes.  I  hrec  vears 
after  his  marriage  he  was  accused  before  the  Council  of 

I  en  of  having  received  shifts  from  several  important 
cm/ens  in  consideration  of  obtaining  honorific  or 
lucrame  posts  tor  them  through  his  influence  \\ith  his 
father.  One  ot  his  serxants  and  several  other  persons 
\x  ere  examined  under  torture,  and  their  evidence  led 
to  an  order  tor  his  arrest.  lie  had  been  informed  of 
what  was  <M>IHLI  <>n«  however,  and  had  alreach  escaped. 
I  he  trial  proceeded  x\  it  lion  t  him,  and  itxx  as  sufficiently 
proved  that  a  bo\  existed  in  the  Doge  s  house  eontaimng 
valuable^  \xhich  he  had  received.  I  he  la\\  forbidding 
am  member  ot  the  Dooes  family  to  receive  am  <_'jlts 
x\  h.itsoex  er,  under  am  circumstances,  was  most  rigidly 
enforced  in  \emce,  and  (acopo  \\.is  |ustb  sentenced  to 
a  temporary  exile;  he  was  known  to  be  in  I  neste, 
and  a  galley  was  ordi-red  to  proceed  thither  to  eonxev 


xv       VKMCK  IN  FIFTKKMIl  CENTURY     467 

him  to  Moclon  in  the  Peloponnesus,  whence  he  was  to 
lournev  at  his  o\\  n  expense  to  Napoli  ch  Romania,  near 
Corinth,  within  one  month;  and  while  there  lie  was  to 
present  himself  to  the  governor  everv  clav,  to  sleep  in 
the  city  everv  night,  to  keep  no  more  than  three 
servants,  and  to  he  treated  in  all  respects  as  a  private 


citi/en.  It  he  refused  to  go  on  hoard  the  s^allev  a 
price  was  set  on  his  capture;  he  was  to  he  brought  to 
\  emce  and  heheaded  between  the  columns.  Several 
minor  personages  were  at  the  same  time  sentenced  to 
short  terms  of  exile,  and  to  tin  loss  of  am  public  offices 
thev  might  he  holding  at  the  time 

'1  he  offence  was   patent,  tin-  trial   was   le^il,  and  the 


4"X  (il.K  AMNCS    FROM    HISTORY  \\ 

condemnation  \\as  ]iisr;  luit  facopo  carrel  tor  noiu-  of 
these  things,  ami  altogether  declining  the  imitation  ot 
the-  J  en  to  <M>  on  hoard  the  gallev  sent  tor  him,  he 
continued  to  h\e  in  I  rieste  as  it  nothing  had  happened. 
I  lu-  I  en,  on  their  side,  were  hv  no  means  anxious  to 
incur  the  odium  ot  decapitating  the  Doge's  son,  as  thev 
had  dec'larecl  that  thev  would  do  it  he  refused  obedience, 
and  thev  now  begged  the  Doge-  himself  to  use  his 
paternal  influence  with  jacopo.  in  order  that  thev 
misdit  nor  he  drueti  to  extremities;  hut  as  this 
measure  also  remained  without  anv  effect,  the  Council 
confirmed  its  sentence  and  confiscated  (aeopo's  pro- 
pertv.  At  anv  moment  he  might  ha\e  been  arrested, 
brought  to  \i-mce,  and  beheaded;  hut  instead  of  this, 
a  committee  was  named  to  examine  into  tin-  circum- 
stances. It  was  ascertained  that  facopo  was  in  had 
health;  it  was  voted  that  this  tact  should  he  accepted  as 
a  sufficient  excuse  for  his  disobedience;  and.  In  wav  of 
smoothing  matters  over,  it  \\as  decreed  that  he  should 
he  exiled  onlv  to  I  l"e\  iso  and  the  I  I"e\isan  district, 
almost  \\ithin  sijdit  ot  \emce.  facopo  thought  fit  to 
submit  to  this  mild  decree,  which  was  not  modified, 
althouoh  it  was  soon  afterwards  discovered  that  he  had 
iec<  i\ed  two  thousand  and  forty  ducats,  with  a  <|uannr\ 
ot  siKer  pl.'.te.  from  I'rancesco  Stor/.a.  A  \car  later 
the  Doue  presented  a  petition  to  the  Council  ot  1  en 
he^ninu  that,  in  consideration  of  his  o\\  n  old  age,  and 
of  th(  fart  that  [acopo,  his  wife,  his  children,  and  all 
then  servants,  suffered  from  malarious  fever  in  the 
chmati  of  Mesrre.  (ac'opo  mi^ht  be  allo\\ed  to  return 


YKMCK  IN  FIFTKKNTH  CENTURY     469 

to  \  emce.  'I  his  petition  was  actually  granted,  doubt- 
less owing  to  the  signal  services  rendered  to  the 
Republic  bv  the  old  Doge  during  a  reign  which  had 
already  lasted  twentv  years. 

jacopo  returned,  and  during  the  next  three  years 
nothing  is  known  of  his  mode  of  life.  It  must  be 
admitted  that,  so  far,  the  I  en  had  acted  with  unusual 
clemency.  1  hev  can  hardly  be  blamed,  however,  for 
having  watched  [acopo  afterwards. 

On  the  evening  of  the  fifth  of  November  1450  an 
atrocious  murder  was  committed,  and  the  fact  that  the 
victim,  the  noble  Krmolao  Donato,  had  been  one  of 
the-  heads  of  the  I  en  during  [acopo's  trial,  and  that  he 
was  killed  just  after  he  had  left  the  ducal  palace,  cast 
suspicion  upon  the  younger  Foscari.  It  was  not  until 
two  months  later  that  a  formal  accusation  was  laid 
against  him  and  he-  was  arrested.  I  here  was  certainly 
strong  evidence  to  prove  the  crime.  Foscari  had  long 
made-  no  secret  about  his  hatred  of  the  murdered  man; 
a  servant  of  [acopo's  had  been  seen  hanging  about  the1 
palace  as  if  waiting  for  some  one  just  before  Donato 
had  come  out;  and  a  good  manv  minor  pieces  of 
testimonv  were  adduced. 

I  'here  is  nor  the  slightest  truth  in  the  storv  that 
|  acopo  Loredan  ever  he-Id  the  Foscari  fannlv  re- 
sponsible for  the  death  of  his  father,  who  was  probably 
poisoned  bv  \  isconti,  nor  that  he-  entered  the  crime  as 
a  debt  in  his  ledger,  and  wrote  'paid'  opposite  the 
entrv  when  the  elder  I'oscan  was  de-posed.  ^  ct  it  is 
true-  that  a  sort  of  feud  had  lon<i  existed  between  the1 


4;o  (il.KAMNC.S    FROM    HISTORY  xv 

t\\o  families,  that  Putro  Lore-clan  hail  been  the  un- 
successful candidate  when  I'oscan  had  been  elected, 
and  rliat  |acopo  Loredan  now  took  an  active  part  in 
the  proceedings  against  facopo  I'oscan. 

The  trial  was  nor  in  am  way  a  secret  one.  1  he 
evidence  was  only  circumstantial,  and  even  under 
torture  Jacopo  confessed  nothing.  In  modern  Kngland 
or  America  he  would  not  have  been  tortured,  but  he 
\\ould  in  all  probability  have  been  hanged  tor  the 
murder.  1  he  1  en  must  have  telt  the  difficulty  in 
which  thev  were  placed,  and  they  met  it  bv  condemn- 
ing him  to  exile  in  Crete,  not  allowing  his  wife  and 
children  to  accompany  him.  I'oscan  was  then  taken 
from  the  ducal  palace  and  placed  on  board  a  ship, 
\\hich  eonveved  him  to  his  destination.  lie  remained 
in  Crete  unmolested  during  rive  years. 

Mere,  a<j.am,  dramatists  and  writers  of  fiction  ha\e 
invented  an  extraordinary  tale.  It  is  narrated  that 
facopo,  being  unable  to  bear  the  loneliness 
of  exile,  deliberately  wrote  a  letter,  in  which 
he  appealed  for  help,  to  1'  rancesco  Sfor/a,  then  Duke  of 
Mian,  intending  that  the  missive  should  fail  into  the 
hands  of  flu  I  en,  in  order  that  the  Council  might  ha\e 
him  brought  bark  to  \emce  to  be  tried;  and  we  are 
asked  to  hehexe  that  lie  risked  the  agonies  of  torture  for 
the  sake  of  once  more  seeing  his  o\\  n  people.  \\hat 
actualb  happened  seems  to  be  that  facopo  had  beeome 
intimate  in  his  exile  \vith  eertam  ( icnoise,  through 
u  horn  In  attempted  to  establish  a  correspoiulence  \\ith 
Mohammed  II.,  the  eonmieror  of  Constantinople,  m 


VENICE  IN  EIETEEXTH  CENTIRV     471 

the  hope  that  the  Sultan  would  send  a  galley  on  which 
he  mi<j;ht  escape  from  Crete.  It  he  had  succeeded,  the 
Turkish  vessel  would  certainly  not  ha\e  brought  him 

O 

to  \  enetian  waters. 

Venice  had  suffered  much  in  her  commerce  hv  the 
Mohammedan  conquest;  a  number  of  her  citi/.ens  had 
fought  in  the  last  defence  of  Constantinople,  and  some 
had  been  afterwards  murdered  in  cold  blood  hv  the 
Sultan's  orders.  An  agreement  had  subsequently  been 
reached,  it  is  true,  but  the  I  en  could  hardly  be  ex- 
pected to  look  with  leniency  on  a  secret  correspondence 
between  the  son  ot  her  Doge  and  the  despot  of  the 
(  Xsmanhs. 

facopo  Eoscan  was  brought  back  to  Venice  and 
tried  as^am.  He  now  confessed  everything  immedi- 
ately, without  compulsion.  I  he  storv  of  his  having 
been  horribly  tortured  during  this  second  trial  appears 
to  be  a  pure  invention,  tor  in  the  records  ot  the 
Council  of  I  en  the-  tact  that  the  cord  was  used  is 
invariably  stated  on  each  occasion,  and  in  this  case 
there  is  no  mention  of  anv  such  matter.  I  refer  the 
incredulous  reader  to  Romamn's  fourth  volume,  in 
which  abundant  proof  of  this  will  be  found,  with  the 
most  minute  reference  to  existing  documents.  Smedlev 
wrote  at  a  time  when  those  papers  had  not  been  found, 
and  confessed,  moreover,  to  having  largely  used  Darn. 

jacopo  was  condemned  to  return  to  Crete  ami  to 
be  confined  tin-re  in  prison  during  one  vear;  he  was 
told,  however,  that  it  he  a^im  wrote  letters  to  foreign 
princes,  he  should  end  his  lite  under  lock  and  kev. 


472  GLEANINGS    FROM    HISTORY  xv 

1  le  was  allowed  to  see  his  family  and  his  father 
once  more,  before  his  departure,  and  rlu-  a<^ed  Done 
rook  lea\c  ot  his  onlv  son  with  tears  and  deep  emotion; 
hut  to  [acopo  s  entreaties  that  the  I)ou;e  would  en- 
deavour  to  procure  his  return,  the-  old  man  could  onlv 
answer,  '  (  K>,  faeopo,  obev  and  ask  no  more.' 

None  the  less,  after  his  final  departure,  the  Doge 
made  every  effort  to  obtain  his  pardon,  and  \\as 
seconded  bv  several  of  the-  great  patricians;  but  [acopo 
tiled  in  [anuary  1457.  long  before  his  year  of  im- 
prisonment was  out. 

1  he  blow  completely  broke  down  the-  Doge,  \\lio 
u  as  now  about  eightv-four  vears  of  am-;  he  became 
unable  to  attend  to  an\'  affairs  of  State,  and  the  Council 
of  1  en,  not  unwillingly  perhaps,  but  with  a  full  under- 
standing of  the-  importance  of  such  a  step,  determined 
to  depose-  him  and  elect  another  DOLH-.  At  its  best, 
the  Council  of  1  en  was  a  fairlv  just  court;  at  its 
worst,  it  was  tin-  most  unscrupulous,  sordid,  despotic, 
and  vet  coward Iv  hodv  of  men  that  e\  er  called  them- 
selves a  tribunal,  until  the  French  Revolutionaries  beat 
all  records  ot  mfamv  in  tin-  name  of  tin  'rights  of 
man';  but  at  no  rime  did  tin  Council  ever  shou  the 
smallest  inclination  to  be  sentimental;  and  it  was 
ven  rarelv  Lieneroiis.  tor  ;_;enerosir\  is  probably  one 
of  rlie  noble  forms  of  sentiment.  Francesco  I'oscan 
had  reigned  too  lonji,  and  \\as  no\\  useless,  e\en 
as  the  huure-head  \\hich  the  dm  f  of  a  thorougliK' 
constitutional  and  non-imperial  state  shiuild  be. 
I  he  Council  ot  I  en  deposit!  him,  and  the  Great 


xv       VKNICK  IN  FIFTFKNTH  CENTURY     47.^ 

Council   elected    another    Doo;e   in    his    place,    Pasquale 
Mahpien. 

I  he  proposition  presented  h\'  the  heads  of  the  I  en 
is  extant,  and  is  a  masterpiece  of  sanctimonious  cant,  in 
which  the-  Venetian  State  is  spoken  of  as  having  origi- 
nated in  the  infinite  clemency  of  the  divine  Creator,  and 
immense  stress  is  laid  on  the  administrative  importance 
of  the  Dole's  office.  1  he  fact  was  that  the  oligarchy 
hated  Foscari.  and  felt  that  the  conduct  of  his  son  had 
brought  great  scandal  on  the  Republic.  A  committee 
of  the  Council  waited  on  him  twice,  and  requested  him 
to  resign  on  the  score  of  old  age,  but  he  refused  to  do 
so;  the  third  time,  the  request  became  an  order,  and 
he  was  told  to  leave  the  ducal  palace  within  eight 
davs.  1  he  ducal  ring  was  taken  from  his  finger  and 
hammered  to  pieces,  as  was  done  when  a  doge  died. 

lie  did  nor  \\ait  longer  than  necessary,  and  on  the 
following  day  he  left  the  palace,  walking  with  a  stick, 
bur  otherwise  unaided.  His  brother  Marco  went  with 
him,  and  proposed  that  thev  should  go  to  their  boat 
In  the  prnatc  and  covered  entrance,  but  the1  old  man 
refused.  ;I  \\ill  go  down,'  he  said,  'bv  that  staircase 
up  \\  Inch  1  came  to  be  Doge.' 

I  he  last  legend  concerning  him  is  that  he-  died  of  a 
broken  heart  on  hearing  the  great  bell  announce  the 
election  of  his  successor.  I  l<-  died  three  davs  later,  on 
All  Saints'  Dav,  and  the  new  DO<H-  was  at  mass  when 
rlie  news  was  brought  to  the  church.  Doubtless 
1'oscaris  end  was  hastened  bv  the  pamlul  emotions  of 
the  last  few  davs,  however,  ami  there  was  a  stroin- 


474       (;u;AM\r,s  FROM  HISTORY        \\ 

feeling  in  \  emcc  against  the  Council  ot  I  en  tor  some 
time  afterwards. 

As  usual,  there  was  also  an  attempt  to  make  amends 
by  oixing  rlu-  dead  man  a  magnificent  funeral.  This 
his  \\ulo\\  proudly  refused,  saving  that  she-  was  rich 
enough  to  give  her  husband  a  king's  funeral  without 
aid  from  the  State;  nevertheless,  bis  bodv  was  taken 
In  order  of  the  Signory  and  was  laid  out  in  state-, 
arraved  in  the  ducal  garments  with  all  the  insignia; 
and  Mahpien,  the  new  Doge,  followed  the  bier  to 
the-  I1' ran  dressed  as  a  simple  senator,  as  it  Foscan's 
successor  had  not  vet  been  elected. 

Returning  tor  a  moment  to  the-  list  ot  the-  con- 
dottien  who  served  \  emce  in  the  fifteenth  cenrurv,  it 
is  time  to  sav  that  Carmagnola  was  succeeded  as  general 
ot  the  Venetian  armies  hv  the  Duke  ot  Mantua,  who 
before-  long  went  over  to  the  enemv  with  his  men,  his 
weapons,  and  his  baggage.  I  he  next  commander  was 
one  ot  his  lieutenants,  a  certain  Krasmo  da  \arni, 
famous  under  the  nickname  of  '  ( iattamelata,'  or 
I  |(me\  -Cat. 

Lrasmo  (iattamelata  ot  \arni  was  the  son  of  a 
baker  in  that  town,  and  is  said  to  ba\e  <M>t  his  nick- 
name from  his  soft  and  cat-like  wavs,  'and 
for  his  speech,  which  \\as  cautious  and  also 
sweet  and  suave  as  honev.'  \s  there-  are  still  families 
ot  the  name  in  northern  Italv  \\lio  were  ne\er  con- 
nected  uith  his,  1  cannot  si-e  \\h\  \\  e  need  assume  that 
in  his  case  it  was  a  nickname  at  all.  Such  appellations 
arc  common  in  Iralv.  and  it  is  probably  only  because 


VKNICK  IN  FIFTFKXTIi  CKNTURV     475 

he   was   such   a    distinguished   condottiero  that   his   has 
attracted    so    much    attention.      He    hegun    his    fighting 


hen    he    was    voim*1,    and     nracci 


e  ser\  ed  mam   employers 


amongst  others   Martin   \  .,  tluj  C'olonna    Pope,   and   he 


47"          GLEANINGS    FROM    HISTORY  xv 

found  himself  opposed  in  the  field  'both  to  Casa  Braccio 
and  I'iccmmo,  and  also  to  Stella,  his  old  friends  and 

leaders.'      lie-  was  sixtv  years  of   age  when 

>  134-  ,  ,  •'          r      i        \-          • 

he    entered    the    ser\  ice    of    the     \  enetian 

Republic.  He-  had  a  sworn  brother  in  arms,  like-  many 
fighters  of  that  da\',  a  certain  Count  Brandohni  who 
was  included  in  the  agreement  with  \  emce,  which 
is  <M\en  in  full  in  the  Marchese  .L  roll's  book.  It 
begins : — 

Gattamelata  and  Count  Brandolini  arc  engaged  as  leaders 
(if  tour  hundred  lances  with  three1  horses  to  each  lance,  as  is 
customarv,  and  also  of  four  hundred  footmen.  And  after  six 
months  thcv  shall  have,  besides  what  is  above  agreed,  httv 
lances  more  for  their  t\vo  sons  under  them. 

For  the  use  of  these1  four  hundred  lances  there  shall  he 
given  them  60  ducats  for  each  lance.  .  .  .  ()\er  and  above' 
this  thev  shall  ha\  e  a  loan  (an  advance)  on  their  personal 
security,  of  i::?.~j  ducats,  and  further,  they  shall  soon  have, 
on  account  of  what  the  Sovereign  Pontiff  owes  them  tor  their 
service,  i  0,000  ducats. 

Hut  (iattamelata  and  Count  Hrandolini  shall  produce'  tor 
the  aforesaid  nione-v,  and  tor  the  pertoi'm.mce  of  then'  prom- 
ise, suitable  sureties,  having  recei\c'd  which  the  Doge  and  the 
'government  will  provide'  the1  monev.  .  .  . 

As  regards  the  hootv  which  the  said  (lattamelata  and 
Hiandolmi  aiul  their  band  mav  collect  in  time  of  war,  the 
custom  of"  th ••  tenth  shall  he  observed. 

It  was  customarv  for  condottien  to  pa\"  a  tribute 
called  Saint  Mark's  I'ce,  ()noran/a  di  San  Marco,  to 
tin-  Republic,  which  was  a  sort  of  income-tax  on  loot. 
\\  ar  \\  as  a  matter  of  business. 


VENICE  IN  F1FTLLXTH  CENTURY     477 

Lack  of  space  prevents  me  from  giving  the  agree- 
ment in  full.  It  is  very  curious.  .Among  other  pro- 
visions is  one  forbidding  the  condottiero  to  present, 
tor  the  roll  call,  the  same  charger  or  man  'more  than 
once  or  under  more  than  one  lance,'  a  clause  which 
gives  an  idea  ot  the  usual  methods  ot  cheating.  All 
unimportant  prisoners  were  their  property  as  part  of 
the  bootv:  the  important  objects  and  persons,  'cities, 
lands,  fortresses  and  their  munitions,  ruling  princes 
and  their  brothers  or  sons,  and  rebels  and  traitors,' 
were  to  be  handed  over  to  Venice;  but  other  con- 
dottien  and  military  commanders,  it  taken,  were  to  be 
paid  tor  bv  the  \  enetian  government,  it  it  chose  to  pay 
halt  their  ransoms. 

At  the  end  ot  the  campaign  Gattamelata  and  his 
friend  received  in  'noble  and  gentle  tee'  the  castle  and 
lands  ot  \  almarmo,  on  condition  that  the  population 
should  continue  to  huv  its  salt  from  the  Venetian 
Republic,  and  that  the  two  feudal  holders  should  pav 
the  Republic  a  veariv  tribute  ot  ten  pounds  of  wax  at 
the-  feast  ot  Saint  Mark.  Gattamelata  bought  out  his 
friend's  share,  and  was  inscribed  in  the-  Golden  Hook. 

lie-  and  S  for/a  fought  together  against  Piccmino  and 
amongst  other  things  took  back  \erona. 

Gattamelata   died   of   apoplexy  not   long    /'• 
after  the   end   of   that   campaign,    and    was    'f; 
magnificently    buried,    in    the    presence    ot 
the     Doge-     and     the     Signorv.      A     picture      ' 
representing  his  obsequies  was  painted  hv 
Mantegna,  but  his  biographer,  Marchese  Kroh,  writing 


47^          CLKANINGS    FROM    HISTORY  \v 

in   iS^o,  had  nor  learned  where  it  was,  it  it  still  existed, 
nor  (.\m   1  obtain  am    information  on  tin-  subject. 

I  lu-  Lireat  I' ranceseo  Stor/a  \\as  also  during  some 
time  in  the  ser\  ice  ot  the  Republic,  Init  left  it  to 
mam  Bianca  \  isconti  with  the  prospect  ot  succeeding 
to  the  Duchy,  and  he  fought  against  \enice  as  bra\elv 
as  he  had  lateU'  fought  under  her  standard.  \\ar 
was  purely  a  matter  ot  business  with  the-  condottien, 
and  so  long  as  tbev  fulfilled  the  conditions  ot  each 
successive  contract  fhev  undertook,  no  one  ever  blamed 
them  tor  changing  sides  as  often  as  was  profitable.  It 
was  not  e\en  proper  or  customarv  to  poison  them 
tor  it,  and  in  an  a  Lie  when  political  murder  was  as 
common  as  mere  political  calumnv  is  now,  the  acts  ot 
I' ilippo-Mana  \isconti  were  reallv  looked  on  with 
disapproval  In  his  fellow-scoundrels  in  power.  It  was 
considered  that  he  went  too  far. 

Astonishing  things  weiv  done  In    the  soldiers  ot  that 

a  Lie.      In   the   war  with    Milan,    tor   instance,    \enice   at 

one  time  |udged  it  nccessarv  to  get  a  small 

tlec-t   into  the    Lake-  of   (larda;    and   as  the 

approaches  In'  water  were  guarded  In    the-  Milanese,  it 

was    actually    found    possible    to    haul    six 

Liallevs  and  twentv-h\e  long-boats  In  means 

//,.-  of    oxen  and  capstans  from   the  n\er  Adige 

up  the  steep  slope  ot  the   Monte   Baido  and 

do\\  n   to    I  orbole,  \\luie  the  \essels  \\ere  launched   into 

the  lake        and  promptb    blockaded  b\    the  enem\". 


VENICE  IN  FIFTEENTH  CENTURY     479 

to  give  even  a  slight  idea  of  the  teats  ot  arms  per- 
formed on  both  sides  bv  hired  troops,  at  a  time  when 
all  Ifalv  was  on  fire,  and  war  was  more  or  less  con- 
tinuous because  the  condottien,  who  lived  by  it,  were 
obliged  to  make  it  so  or  starve.  1  he  country  was  in 
a  bad  state;  it  the  strong  anywhere  protected  the 
weak,  it  was  in  order  to  enslave  them  more  effectually, 
and  the  weak  often  revolted  against  the  enforced 
protection  they  received. 

\isconti  died  in  1447,  leaving  tour  wills,  on  the 
third  of  which  S  for/a  founded  those  pretensions  to  the 
dukedom  which  he  soon  succeeded  in  establishing, 
though  the  Milanese  declared  that  they  would  be  a 
Republic,  like  Venice  and  Genoa.  \\  e  smile  at  the 
futility  of  such  a  simple  popular  aspiration,  in  an  age 
when  soldiers  were  rulers  and  rulers  were  tyrants. 
I  he  Milanese-  were  obliged  to  employ  Stor/a  to  right 
tor  them;  he  did  so,  routed  the  Venetians,  forced  them 
to  a  peace,  and  then  entered  into  an  alliance  with  them 
\\hich  gave  them  all  the-  Cremasco,  with  Bergamo  and 
Brescia,  but  landed  him  safely  on  the-  throne  ot  Milan. 

He  had  in  him  the  stuff  ot  a  good  prince,  and  he  is 
said  to  have  indulged  dreams  ot  uniting  all  Italy  in 
a  sort  ot  federation  to  defend  the  country  from  foreign 
invasion. 

But  greater  events  were  happening  in  the  East, 
where  the  B\  /antine  Empire  was  at  the  last  gasp  ot  its 
existence.  Even  it  \  enice  had  thrown  all  her  strength 
into  opposing  the  I  urks  and  protecting  her  Eastern 
commerce-,  instead  of  quarrelling  with  Milan,  she 


4<so       (ii.i;\M\(is  FROM  HISTORY         \\ 

could   not   have  retarded  the  tall  <>t  Constantinople  bv 

an\'    Ion*;   time.      .As    ir   was,   sin-   sent    Inir 

•'••'••     little    lu-lp    to    the    last    of    the    emperors. 

/  ;    .'        /'..;,. 

I  he     Bv/.antincs     had     never    been     good 
fighters,  aiul  rlu-  tremendous  fortifications 
of    the   citv   alone   checked    Mohammed's   armv  ot   one 
lunulred  ami  sixtv  thousand  fanatics. 

Constantinople  was  taken  in  145  v  :1IU'  in  r'u-  XV1'(1 
massacn.-  of  Christians  that  followed,  main'  \  enetians 
\\~i-rc-  butchered.  1  lu-  Republic  is  said  to  have  lost 
projK-rn  worth  three-  hundred  thousand  ducats.  !•  ifteen 
\  enetian  ships  succeeded  in  escaping,  \\ith  eight 
Genoese  vessels.  But  the  mere  loss  ot  monev  and 
\aluables  was  nothing  compared  with  that  which  must 
ha\e  followed  it  the  commerce  ot  Venice  in  the  Kast 
had  been  altogether  destroyed.  1  here  was  much  to 
o'.  erlook  and  torque,  it  is  true,  it  an  agreement  \\cre  to 
In  reached  \\ith  Mohammed  the  Conqueror.  I  le  had 
impaled  a  \  enetian  captain  ami  beheaded  thirt\'  ot  his 
crew  before  the  sie^e  ;  he  had  decapitated  the  Venetian 
Hailo  ;md  his  son  in  cold  blood  afterwards,  a  great 
number  of  \enetians  hail  perished  in  the  massacre, 
and  twi-ntv-mne  nobles  hail  been  held  tor  ransom;  and 
in  u-turn  for  HUM  injuries  and  insults,  tin-  Republic 

I 

had    not    struck    a    blo\\.       I  he   exigencies   ot    commerce 
\\  ere  Liri-at. 

\emce  plaved  a  double  part  in  \\hat  lollo\\ed, 
making  a  sho\\  of  rousing  the  Cope  to  preach  a 
crusade  on  the  one  hand,  and,  on  the  other,  quietlv 
dra\\m^  u|>  a  rreatv  uith  the  Sultan,  b\'  \\hich_the 


xv       VFMCK  IN  FIFTKKNTH  CENTURA'     4Si 

Republic  was  to  pav  tribute-  for  IKT  Eastern  settlements, 
the   slave-trade   was   to   be   allowed   to   continue   in    the 


Black  Sea,  provided  that  onlv  Christians,  and  not 
Mussulmans,  were  bought  and  sold,  and  the  Sultan 
was  to  force'  the  ( lenoese  of  Pera  to  pay  what  thev 

Vol..  I.  —  21 


4S2  CLKAMNC.S    FROM    HISTORY  xv 

o\\e-el  the  \  e-iH'tians.  I  he-  latter  clause'  \\.is,  no  doubt, 
a  <u>oel  stroke  of  business,  and  the  treatv  contained 
manv  others  which  proved  that  its  c-iul  was  sordidly 
commercial. 

1  \\o  hundred  and  fifty  years  had  passed  since  blind 
Knrico  Dandolo  had  led  the  Venetians  to  the  conquest 
of  Constantinople.  What  they  did  then  cannot  be  justi- 
fied, it  is  true-,  but  no  man  who  has  fighting  blood  in 
his  veins  can  help  admiring  the  magnificent  courage  that 
performed  such  a  feat  of  arms.  In  the  same  \\av,  I 
suppose  that  no  one  in  whom  the1  true-  commercial  spirit 
is  alive-  will  withhold  his  admiration  from  a  pe-ople  who 
c'Hilel  for<M\e-  insult  ami  forjut  m|tirv  so  completely 
as  those  later  \enetians  elid  in  1454,  for  the-  sake  of 
making  mone-v.  It  avails  not  to  reflect  that  it  was 
probably  too  late  to  stem  the  westward  movement  of 
the  lurks;  the  man  of  heart  will  al\\a\s  feel  that  the 
richest  nation  in  Kurope  might  have  done  some-thing  to 
save  Constantinople  from  her  fate. 

Pope  Nicholas  \  .  thought  so,  and  e-xpresse-d  his  dis- 
•  Mist  to  the-  Senate  through  his  legate,  but  the-  \ene-tian 
<M>\e-rnment  answered  him  in  one-  of  those-  sanctimonious 
speeches  which  it  knew  so  \\e-il  how  to  frame  on  occasion, 
ami  advised  the  Pope  to  turn  his  attention  towards 
panning  and  uniting  all  Christian  princes  in  a  ^e-ne-ral 
league  against  the  common  e-nemv,  \\ell  knowm<^  that 
n<>  Mich  attempt  could  succeed. 

In  spite  of  the  treatv,  however,  the-  \enetians 
never  did  \\ell  in  the  I'.ast  af'ter  that,  and  iheir  old 
enemies  the  ( ie-iu>ese  *^ot  the-  belter  of  the-m  in  the 


YKN1CK  IN  FIFTEKXTH  CFNTURV     48j 

trade  of  the  Black.  Sea,  tor  the  1  urks  were  h\'  no 
means  satisfied  vet  with  what  thev  had  taken,  and 
\  en  ice  was  more  or  less  engaged  during  the  next 
twentv  years  in  trying  to  protect  her  Mediterranean 
col<  >nies. 

She  had  suffered  considerably  in  her  fortunes,  though 
her  credit  appeared  inexhaustible.  Romanin  lias  un- 
earthed some  curious  figures.  He  estimates  the  loss  of 
property  In  the  tall  of  Constantinople  at  three  hundred 
thousand  ducats,  and  savs  that  there  were  a  number 
ot  had  commercial  failures  in  \  enice  in  consequence, 
notably  that  of  Andrea  Pnuh,  for  twentv-four  thousand 
ducats.  1  he  aggregate  estimated  value  of  the  houses 
in  \  enice  diminished  between  1425  and  144.5  nv  thirteen 
thousand  ducats,  which  does  not  seem  verv  disastrous 
where  the  whole  reached  three  hundred  and  sixty 
thousand;  but  the  war  with  Milan  alone  cost  seven 
million  ducats  in  ten  vears,  m  1428  the  Venetian 
Chamber  ot  Commerce  owed  nine  millions,  and 
komanm  adds  that  in  1440  the  bonds  of  the  public 
debt  were  onlv  worth  eighteen  and  a  half  per  cent  of 
their  nominal  value,  a  statement  in  which  there-  seems 
to  be-  some  mistake,  unless  that  extreme  depression 
was  mereb  momentary.  There  can  be-  no  doubt  but 
that  the  acquisition  of  extensive  territory  by  warfare, 
and  the  reckless  extravagance  which  became'  onlv  too 
common  in  I-oscari's  brilliant  reijm,  had  led  to  a  serious 
diminution  of  wealth  and  population,  and  had  burdened 
the  Republic  with  a  debt  from  which  she  was  never  to 
free  herself  a<ram. 


484          GLEANINGS    FROM    HISTORY  xv 

An  attempt  was  made  b\'  Pope  Pius  II.  to  send  a 
crusade  against  the  1  urks,  and  as  such  an  expedition, 
it  it  had  resulted  in  the  expulsion  ot  the  lurks,  would 
have  been  much  to  the  advantage  of  Venice,  she  lent 
her  support  readily.  The  Pope,  however,  died  suddenly 
v.hen  he  was  about  to  bless  the  united  fleet  on  its 
departure  from  Ancona,  and  the  result  was  that  the 
whole  alliance  broke  up  at  once,  and  those  who 
had  composed  it  departed  tor  their  homes  without 
delay. 

In  Italy  itself  there  was  constant  war,  useless  to 
those  who  paid  tor  it,  and  profitable  only  to  the  soldiers 
they  employed.  I  he  command  ot  the  \  enetian  troops 
had  now  passed  to  the  great  condottiero  Bartolommeo 
Colleoni,  a  man  quite  as  brave  and  de\  otc-d  to  the 
Republic  as  Gattamelata  had  been,  and  tor  employing 
whom  the  other  Italian  states  envied  her.  \\  hen  his 
contract  with  \  emce  had  been  executed,  the-  Florentines 
succeeded  in  engaging  him;  but  the  incredible  rivalry 
amongst  the  divers  Italian  states  to  obtain  his  services 
at  last  led  to  a  treaty  hv  which  it  was  agreed  that  he 
should  be  sent  against  the-  I  urks  at  the  |omt  expense 
of  them  all.  Ot  course  this  was  not  carried  out,  and 
perhaps  no  one  e\er  expected  that  it  could  be.  More- 
oxer.  Colleoni  did  not  live  lon<^,  and  (King  at  a 
comparatively  early  a^e,  he  left  all  his  fortune  to 
the  Republic  on  condition  that  ir  should  In-  used  for 
a  campaign  against  the-  lurks,  and  that  a  statue 
should  be  set  up  to  himself  in  the  Square  of  Saint 
Mark's. 


YFMCF  IN  FIFTFFXTH  CFNTURY     485 

\\  irh  ama/ing  dishonesty  and  admirable  indifference 
to  his  wishes,  \  enice  used  his  monev  for  a 
war  against  the  Duke  ot  Ferrara;  and  the 
monument,  which  must  indeed  he  admitted 
to  he  one  ot  the  finest  equestrian  statues 
in  existence,  was  placed  in  the  little  square 
of  San  ( iiovanm  e  Paolo. 

In  spite  or  the  treatv  with  the  Sultan,  Venice  was 
obliged  to  spend  no  less  than  twelve  hundred  thousand 
ducats  in  defending  her  possessions  against  the  1  urks 
during  five  years;  and  the  Mussulmans  crossed  Dal- 
matia  and  appeared  in  Fnuh,  to  the  general  conster- 
nation of"  Furope.  It  is  said  that  at  this  time  the  onlv 
allv  upon  which  \  enice  could  count  was  the  King  of 
Persia,  whose  interest  it  was  to  check  the  progress  of 
1  uraman  invasion.  Fverv  one  knows  that  although  the 
Persians  are  Mohammedans,  thev  belong  to  a  sect 
\\hich  entertains  a  profound  aversion  for  that  of"  the 
1  urks. 

One  of  the  principal  episodes  in  this  somewhat 
desultory  warfare  was  the  sie^e  of  Scutari  in  .Albania, 
to  possess  which  the  Conqueror  was  willing  to  sacri- 
fice anv  number  of  men.  1  he-  place  itst-lf  was  verv 
strong  but  contained  onlv  about  two  thousand  and 
h\e  hundred  persons,  between  mercenaries,  citi/ens,  and 
women.  I  lie  Sultan  brought  eightv  thousand  men 
against  them,  whom  he  dixided  into  four  watches,  each 
of  twcntv  thousand,  and  each  under  orders  to  h<dit 
during  six  hours  out  ot  the  twenty-four.  The  assault 
upon  the-  breach,  which  was  soon  made,  was  therefore 


4Sh         GLKAMNGS    FROM    HISTORY  xv 

continuous;     vet    the    heroic    Antonio    da     Le//e,    bv 

dividing  his  little  force  in  a  similar  manner,  succeeded 
in  resisriiiii  the  enemv  during  thirty-six  hours,  and  the 
slaughter  was  so  ternHc  that  Mohammed  determined  to 
±Mve  up  the  attempt  and  to  starve  the  town  rill  ir 
surrendered.  lie  had  hist  over  tv\entv-five  thousand 
men. 

Smedley,  <piotm^  Sabelhco,  savs  that  the  continued 

storm  ot  arrows  discharged  In  the  assailants  during  two 

.v,,Vi/.>... , //.       da\'s    and    a    night    was    something    almost 

indescrihahle;    a  wretched  cat  that  tried  to 

steal  across  an  exposed  root  was  shot  through  bv  eleven 

arrows  at  once;    in  main    places  three  and  four  arrows 

had    struck    in    precisely    the-    same    spot,    splitting    one 

another   in    succession,    and    during  several 

months    after    the     lurks    had    \\ithdra\vn, 

the  shafts  thev  had  shot  supplied   kitchens,  baths,  and 

ovens  \\  ith  firewood. 

I  In-    heroic    little    citv    held    out    against    famine    and 
artillerx'  during  eleven  months,  and  when  at  last  \emce 

had  made  peace  with  the  Sultan  on  condi- 

/...-.        .  ' 

tion    that    the    garrison    should    be    allowed 

to  leave  the  town  with  its  arms  and  baggage,  Antonio 
d,i  I.e/./e  marched  out  \\irh  four  hundred  and  fift\- 
men  and  one  hundred  and  tittv  \\omen.  all  r  uit  \\as 
left  ot  the  lirtle  force  \\hich  had  success!  ull\  resisted 
the  greatest  con(|in-ror  ot  the  a^e  during  the  Drearer 
part  <  >\  a  \ car. 

It  is  almost  needless  to  sa\    that  the   Ri-pubhc  treated 
the   hero   \\ith    her   usual    \ile   intjratitude,  and    that    Da 


VKNICK   IX  FIFTKKXTH  CKXTURV     487 

Le//e  was  imprisoned  tor  a  year  and  banished  tor  ten 
he-cause  certain  ot  the  surviving  inhabitants  of  Scutari 
accused  him  ot  having  written  to  \  emce  that  the  town 


was  short  ot  provisions  when  there  was  still  a  consider- 
able store. 

I  he  impulse  ot  conquest  which  had  led  the  I  urks  so 
tar  \\as  now  almost  exhausted,  and  when  Mohammed 
the-  Conqueror  died,  the  moment  would  have  been 


4SS          GLEANINGS    FROM    HISTORY  xv 

fa\  ourable    tor    driving    tin-     lurks    our    of    the-    Archi- 
pelago,   especially    ;is    the    throne    of    tlie 
Osmanlis    was    disputed    by  a    number   of 
tti'-'it.. ••: \>f     claimants.      But  Venice  was  exhausted  bv 
Lt/'     her  many  struggles,  and  the  sovereigns  of 
other  European  state's  were  onlv  too  reach'  to  sacrifice 

the    interests    of    Christianity    at    lame    to 
'''•'• 

-  their  private  ends.     The  result  was  that  the 

//,,'.•,/     Republic,   rinding  herself  alone,   made   an- 
•     other   ignominious    peace   with    the     lurks. 
But     even     now    she     had     no     rest,     for    she    was     at 
\\ar  with  tin-  Duke  of   Ferrara,  who  enjoyed  the-  pro- 
tection of  the   Pope.      The    latter  exhausted  every  dip- 
lomatic  means  to   induce  \emce  to  withdraw;   bur  the 
onlv   result  was  that  the    Republic    re-called    its    ambas- 
sador   from    Rome.      Sixtus    I\.    now   excommunicated 
Venice,   and    attempted    to   send    notice   of 
/    -  ...    i  ;-,."  r   the  excommunication  hv  the-  political  agent 
'.//'' /^'   whom    the   Venetian    ambassador   had    left 
f  in  Rome.      1  hat  official,  however,  declined 
to    take'    the    message,    and    the    Pope    sent 
a    special    envoy,    \\lio    was    to    present    himself    at    the 
palace  of  tin-   Patriarch.      But  the-  prelate  succeeded  in 
a\oidmg  him  hv  fei^nuiij,  illness,  so  that  official   notice 
of   the  interdict  never  reached  the  Si«Miorv, 
a     result     \\hich     delighted     the    \enetians 
and    proportionally    scandalised    all    other 
Catholics.      \enice    Lia\e    formal    notice    to 
the     Fmperor,    tin-     K.m^    of     France,    tin- 
Km;j.    of     Fnsdand,    tin     Duke    of     Burtiiuuh ,    and    the: 


xv       VKXICK  IX  FIFTKKX'JH  CENTURY     4S9 

Duke  of  Austria,  that  she  appealed  against  the  ex- 
communication to  a  future'  council,  and  meanwhile  no 
further  attention  was  paid  to  the  interdict.  It  was,  in 
fact,  removed  In  the  next  Pope,  Innocent  VI II.,  who 
had  no  especial  reason  tor  maintaining  it. 

The  Republic  had  to  deal  at  this  time  with  internal 
troubles  as  well  as  external  difficulties.  It  happened 
that  two  men  of  the  same  name  and  family  were 
successively  elected  to  be  doges,  and  that  the  house  in 
question  was  one  of  those  known  as  'the  new.'  For 
the  anstocracv  divided  itself  into  two  classes,  of  which 
'the  old'  included  only  the  families  of  tnbumtian 
descent,  who  considered  themselves  vastly  superior  to 
all  the  rest.  Nevertheless,  the  vounger  houses  suc- 
ceeded in  keeping  the  ducal  honour  to  themselves  for 
more  than  two  hundred  vears.  In  1450  sixteen  of 
these  families  had  solemnly  sworn  never  to  allow  the 
election  of  am  doge  from  amongst  the  elder  houses, 
and  sixty-eight  years  had  already  passed  since  one  of 
the  latter  had  been  chosen.  On  the  death  of  Marco 
Barhango  it  was  noised  abroad  that  the  old  houses  were 
about  to  make-  a  determined  effort  to  recover  the 
desired  dignity.  Agostmo  Barbango  was  elected  with 
some-  difficulty,  and  it  was  quite  clear  that  there  were 
now  two  hostile  factions  in  the-  \enetian  <M>\ernment 
\vluch  were  more-  occupied  with  their  partv  spites 
than  \\ith  what  concerned  the  \\elfare  of  the  Republic. 

It  was  a  period  of  contradictions  in  \  eiietian  historv, 
for  while  the  State-  seemed  to  be  often  seaming  territory 
it  \\as  frequently  losing  influence  and  undermining  the 


4QO          r,LKANI\r,S    FROM    HISTORY  xv 

sources  of  its  own  wealth;  and,  on  the  whole,  the-  loss 
during  the  fifteenth  century  considerably  exceeded  the 
profit. 

It  was  at  this  time  that  \  enice  accomplished  that 
remarkable  piece  of  juggling  which  ended  in  the  annexa- 
tion of"  Cyprus. 

Caterma  Corner,  or  Catharine  Cornaro,  as  we  arc- 
accustomed  to  call  her,  was  the  niece  of  a  \  enetian 
noble  who  lived  in  Cyprus,  and  she  had 

r.  //•.-/.  ,/.  /.-/</.  .    I 

married  facques  de  Lusignan,  an  illegiti- 
mate son  of  the  last  king  of  the  island. 
Less  than  two  vears  after  her  marriage-,  when  she 
was  about  to  become  a  mother,  her  husband  suddenly 
died,  bequeathing  his  kingdom  to  the-  child  that  should 
be  born.  1  he-  infant  that  came  into  the  world  was  a 
son  indeed,  but  onlv  lived  a  tew  months,  and  as 
Catharine's  husband  had  grasped  the  throne  bv  drning 
our  his  halt-sister,  who  was  legitimate,  his  widow  now 
had  sjreat  difficulty  in  maintaining  her  position  against 

the  rightful  heir,  whose  name-  was  Charlotte, 

'•••••  ,        ,  •    ,  ,  .  -  , 

and    who    was    married    to    the    powerful 

Duke  of  Savoy.      Catharine-  had  no  choice  but  to  place 
! .,  ,       ,     .      herself  under  the  protection  of  \enice,  ami 
the   Republic,  as  usual   when   it  undertook 
to  help  a  friend  in  distress,  be<i;an  bv  hoist- 
ing   its    own     Hag    on     the    citadel.      \\ith 
great  skill  the  queen  was  gradually  forced, 
. .  ,    ..     in    the    course    of     fifteen    years,    into    the 
position    of     resign  in<:    her    little    kingdom 
altogether  into  the  hands  of  the  Republic.      I 


xv       VKXICK  IN   FIFTKKNTH  CKNTt'RY     49' 

she  was  to  receive  a  considerable  income  and  an  estate 
at  Asolo,  where  she  could  keep  up  the  forms  of  a 
small  court,  still  retaining  her  royal  title.  She  was 
brought  to  Venice,  and  was  received  with  the  utmost 
pomp  and  display,  and  she  retired  qmetlv  to  Asolo, 
to  spend  the  rest  of  her  lite  in  the  society  ot  the 
most  distinguished  philosophers  and  men  of  letters  of 
the  century. 

Venice  laid  hands  on  all  possible  aspirants  to  the 
throne  of  Cyprus,  men  and  hoys,  women  and  girls;  the 
latter  were  consigned  to  convents,  from  which  they  were 
•>nl\  allowed  to  <>o  out  occasionally  with  an  escort. 

O 

I  he  voung  men  were  closely  watched  and  their  ex- 
penses defrayed  bv  the  Republic,  and  the  hoys  were 
educated  to  be  good  \  enetians. 

So  \  emce  got  Cvprus,  and  tor  the  sake  of  that  little 
possession  the  Republic  appears  to  have  sacrificed  the 
opportumtv  of  helping  Columbus  to  discover  America. 

I  he  fact  has  been  denied,  discussed,  and  asserted  again 
In  historians,  but  a  document  has  been  discovered  hv 
M.  I  rbam  de  Gheltof  which,  if  genuine,  puts  an  end  to 
.ill  doubt.  I  hat  scholar  has  found  in  a  private  archive 
in  \  emce  the  copy  ot  a  letter  to  a  Venetian  noble 
\\nticn  hv  Christopher  Columbus  from  Palos,  just 
before  sailing  to  discover  America.  I  translate  the 
short  document,  in  which  the  simple  character  of  the 
(ienoe.se  explorer  finds  full  expression: 

Yerv  magnificent  Sir  —  .As  \<>ur  Re-public  did  not  think  it 
was  to  it>  interest  to  accept  mv  offers,  and  as  all  the  hatred 
ot  enemies  conspired  to  thwart  me  everywhere,  I  threw  im- 


4t>2          GLKAMN'GS    FROM    HISTORY  xv 

self  into    the    arms    ot    the1    Lord    mv  (Jod.       And    lie,  by    the 

. .  ...  n   ,    .,         intercession     ot     His    Saints,    brought     it    about 

.   f.  Letter      that     the     most     clement     King    ot"     Castile,     in 

his  i^cnerositv,  should    help    me   to   carrv  out  mv 

plan  ot"  conquering  a  ne\v  world. 

Thus,  praise  be  to  the  Lord  mv  God,  I  obtained  command 
ot"  vessels  and  men,  and  I  am  presently  going  to  sail  towards 
this  vet  unknown  land  which  God  inspires  me  to  seek.  I 
thank  \ou  for  all  vour  kindness  to  me,  and  be^  vou  to  pra\' 
tor  me.  Coi.r.Mr.o  CRIST. 

Written  truiii   I'AI.OS,  .-i-.i^-.a:  I,    14^1. 

1  he  \  enetiar.s  mav  not  have  verv  deeply  regretted 
their  refusal  to  help  the  Genoese  navigator,  luit  rhe\" 
were  made  to  suffer  acutely  In  the  Portuguese  discovery 
of  the  route'  to  India  bv  the-  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  Lor 
Portugal  now  imported  bv  sea  direct  to  Lisbon  the  rich 
merchandise  of  the  Last,  of  which  the-  \  enctians  had 
hitherto  eii]oved  a  monopoly,  but  for  the  passage  of 
which  thev  paid  heavv  duties  to  the-  Sultan.  1  he 
supi"emac\"  of  Venetian  navigation  was  over,  and  a 
more  daring  race-  of  seamen  ventured  vovages  in 
distant  and  unknown  oceans  whither  the\'  were'  not 
tollo\\ed  b\'  the  old-fashioned  mariners  of  the  Mediter- 
ranean. It  was  in  \am  that  tin-  Republic  proposed 
to  the  Sultan  Haja/et  a  commercial  alliance  bv  which 
both  powers  might  have  profited;  the  I  urk  could 
not  understand  that  the  nun  of  \enetian  trade 
must  impoverish  the  whole  Archipelago  and  Constanti- 
nople itself.  Instead  of  ;m  alliance,  a  renewal  of 
hostilities  ensued,  in  the  course  of  which  Lepanto 
fell  into  the  hands  of  the  lurks.  <  ither  because  the 


VKMCK   IX  FIFTKKXTH  CFXTURY 


arrison  wiis  insufficient  or  because  rhe\  c-netian  admiral, 


j^^yf^  Mli:;^; 


:'     ''JUt-'rf    >»•?*>'    ,1 

.  "•'£.  '!,*•  '^.V  '>$ «£&¥&& V»<    -i4\4>4w 

'  v^>l>'J^    ?"    -  -«~fT^*       'wW-ir< 

"•     \    i  '                                           Vf  6"     V*  ~  '        fl 


niaiiij  \\as  nor  eijiial  ro  rlu-  service  recjuired  oi  him. 


4^)4          CLK  \NI.\(;S    FROM    HISTORY  xv 

Ilr  shared  the-  tare  of  almost  all  native-born  Venetian 

commanders,  and  was  brought  home  laden  with  chains 

so    heavv    that    he-    could    not    have    walked    across    the 

I'ia/./etta  from  the  landing-place  to  his  prison  it  lie  had 

not  heeti  he-Id  up  bv  his  son,  who  was  a  Cardinal.      lie 

was  confined  in  one  ot  the  worst  cells,  surnamed  'torte,' 

the  Strong,  and  his  sufferings  were  such,  according  to 

Santido,  \\lio  kept  his   journal  at  the  time, 

that    the    Cardinal     appeared     before    the 

SiLMiorv  one  dav  to  beg,  as  a   favour,  that 

his  father  might   be  executed   rather  than   made  to  die 

bv   inches  in   his  dungeon. 

1  he  people-,  as  often  happened,  were  quite  of  the 
opinion  of  their  masters,  that  to  b,-  beaten  in  tight  was 
a  shameful  crime,  and  a  savage  S-MIO-  about  the  unlucky 
(inniani  was  bawled  in  the  stivers 

AiUonio  (inmani,  rum  of  (Jhn-:ians,  rebel  of  \emcc! 

Mav   \'ou  he  eaten   bv  dogs, 

Hv  dog.-  aiu!  their  pup.-, 

You  aiui  vour  -on.-, 

Antonio  (irimani,  ruin  of  Chri-tian-  ! 

But    it    was    of    small    use-    to    torment    the    poor    man 

and   to   make   soivs    upon    him.      \enice   \\as   forced   to 
^        i 

make  a  commercial  trcatv  \\irh  tin-  Portuguese,  to  sa\e 
herself    troni    rum. 

1  hen  came  Chares  \  III.  of  I1  ranee  and  descended 
into  Italv  \\ith  tin-  and  tin-  sword,  and  \enice  \\a.s 
drawn  into  new  and  disastrous  Italian  wars.  So  ended 
the  fifteenth  century. 


THE    DOGES    OF    VENICE 

(  AC  COKDINC,     TO     RO.MAMN) 


T.   Tanlo  T.ucio  Anafesto  .     .   elected  697  d.  717   Seat  in  Ileraclca. 
II.    Mareello  Te^a'nano       .      .          "'         717   "    7211 

III.   '  irso  Ipato "        72*)  "    737      murdered).       Scat   in 

Malamoceo. 

'  l-'ri'in  737  to  742,  militarv  ^nvernurs  called  '  M; 
IV 
V 

VI  I.    Mauri/io  <  lalbaiu     ...  "  764  d.  -$? 
VIII.   <  iimanni  (  ialbaiu  and  Ids 

sen  Mauri/.io       ...  "  7X7 
IX.   (  Miclerio     \\  ith     his     s.m.s 

lieatu  and    Costaiitinu  "  Scxpl.  Su    (the      father      put      to 

death    as   a   traitor    . 

X.   A^ncllo  I'artecipa/ii)    .      .  "  Sii    "   S27   Scat       licnccfnrth       in 

Kialt.i. 

XI.   (liustiniano  l'artecipa/io  .  "  827  "  S2i; 

XII.   (li.ivanni  I'ai!  ci  ipa/i  '  I..  ''  Sjo  — S^O    (deposed". 

XIII.    I'ietru  Trad. mien      ...  "  S^o  d.  S(>4   (murdered). 

XI\".  drso  I'artecipa/io  I.      .      .  "  Si  14  "   SSi 

XV.  Ciiovanni    I'arteeipa/io  II.  ••  SSi  — SSS   (abdicated). 

XVI.    1'ietro  Candiano  1.  .     .     .  "  SSS  d.  SSS   (killed    in    battle    with 


495 


(il.KANINCS    FROM    HISTORY 

XIX.    I  i.  :m  ("aiKiian..  II.    .     .   i-lo  tr  1 

\\.    I'i,  ir,,  I'arlo  iju,  in    Ha^i-rr    " 
\\1.    I'H-tr..  i  'an  iiaim  III.       .         "          042   ••   <i;n 
XXII.    I1:    in.  <  'an.iiaiM   l\  .        .          "          <ivi   "   u;t)       iinir  :rr<    i\ 
XXIII.   I'iftn.  OrsL-iili.  I.  .     .     .        "         ','7"  —  "7s       a!>'.ikau->l  an.!  ilio] 

nk.   •.  '  h  tin1 
laiinii    ni     a 
sain!    . 

"          (ijS  — •  079     (ali'lii-ati'il    an  i   l>i-- 
rainr  a  in<  nl-,    . 


.     .  1)1)1   ••    1.     « 

lu'.iS  —  IO2U     •  •.".     :    tu  ( '.  instan- 

'  1 1-    . 

XXXIII.    I'u-liM  ( 'cntraniLju       .      .         "        IOJL    —  10  52  (jlriven  uiit    . 
XXIX.    I  ».  im'iiieu   I •laiiianii.i      .          "        10^2  ,1.   1043 
XXX.    I  i.  niciii.  ..  (  '..ntariiii  .      .         "        11.4  ;   "    1071 
XXXI.    I )  M  i  ic  1 1  i   1 1  S  i.  •  1  \ .  p    .      .      .         •  •        11171    •  •    i  •  •  s ; 
X  X X 1 1 .  V ii      I         :  .     .     ,     . 

XXXIII.  \  ital  Mi.  hi.  1   I. 

XXXIV.  <  ink-laf..   I  alu-r     .      . 

XXXV.  Ii.um-iii.  ,.  Mi.  hi  I     . 

XX\\  I.  I-.-  •:.     I'ulani     .  . 

XXXVII.  I),, nii-i          M.-i  ni  . 

XXX\  III.  \  l!    :  M     hi.     I  i.  .     . 

XXXIX.    Sri 
XI,     M|-i 


TIIK  DOCKS  OK  YKMCT;  497 

I  A".  Maun   Faiier      .      . 

I  A  I .  <  iii  ivanni  (  iradeni^i  < 

I  A' 1 1.  ( iiovanni  I  loliin     . 

FIX.  Marco  t'urner  ...  "  130;   "  13(18 

I.X.  Andrea  Contanni .     .  "  1308  "  1383 

I. XI.  Michel  Moroshii   .     .  «  1^3  "  I3S4 

I. XI  I.  Antonio  Vciiier      .      .  "  1384   "  1400 

FXIII.  Michel  Steno    ...  "  1400  "  1413 

l.XI\".  Tommaso  Moceni^o  .  "  1413  "  1423 

I. XV.  Francesco  Foscari      .  "  1423 — 1457  (deposed,  and  died  a 

few  days  later). 

LXYI.  Pasquale  Malipiero    .  "  1457  d.  1462 

I.XV1I.  C'ristoforo  Moro    .     .  '•  14(12  '•  1471 

I.XX'llI.  Xiccolo  Tron    ...  "  1471    "  1474 

I.X  IX.  Xieeolo  Maredlo  .     .  "  1474  "  1474 

I. XX.  1'ietri)  Muceni.Ljo   .      .  "  1474  "  147!) 

I  .XX  I.  Andrea  X'endramin    .  "  M7(>  "  '47^ 

I. XXII.  (iiovanni  Mocenitjo  .  "  1478  '•  1485 

I. XXIII.  Marco  Barbari^o  .     .  "  14X5   "  1486 

I   XXIV.  Ayustinu   llarbari-o    .  "  14X0   "  1501 

I.XXX".  Feonardo  I.oredan    .  "  1501    "  1:21 

I.XXX  I.  Antonio  (  iriinani  .      .  "  i^-1    "  '5~3 

I  XXVII.  Andrea  C.ritti    ...  "  1523  "  1538 

I. XXVIII.  I'ielro  Fando    .     .     . 

1  XXIX.  Francesco  Doiiato      . 

I  XXX.  Marcantonio  1'revisan 

I.XXX  I.  France*:.)  Venier  .     . 

I  XXXII.  1  on  11/0  I'riuli  .      .      . 

I. XXXIII.  (iirulaino  I'riuli     .     . 

I  XXXIX.  I'ietro  Foredan      .      .  "  1507  "  1570 

i.XXXV.  Al-i-,-    Fui-i,  Moc'cni^.  '••  1^70  •'  1^77 

I.XXXX  I.  Sebastian  X'enier   .      .  ''  1577   "  '  >7>S 

FXXXXil.  Xieeolo  Da  I'onte      .  "  15/8"  1585 

!  \.\X\III.  I'as.|uale  Cicoj^na.     .  "  1585"  I5'»5 

I.XXX  IX.  XI, irin  <  iriinani       .      .  '•  15')^    "  K)C)6 

X<  .  Leonardo  I  >ona     .      .  •'  iin.d  ••  i(>i2 

X('l.  Xiarcantonio  Mcinnio  "  Kil2    "  idi^ 

X<'ll.  (iiovanni   I'.c-nilio   .      .  "  idi^    "  ioiS 

X(  III.  Xiceolo  Dona  ...  "  loiS  '•  nnS 

Xt'lX".   Anioiiio  I'riuli  .      .      .  "  idiS  "  1(125 

X1   \  .  I'  rancesco  (  nntanni  .  "  1025''  1 1 124 

X1  A  I.  ( iiovanni  ( 'nfner    .     .  "  11124  "  1(i;o 

XfAII.  Xieeolo  Contarini       .  "  1030  "  1031 


\<    \  III.    I  in:;    Kri//..  .      .  .    < 

MIX.  1  IM:     <  ~.  >     \I,.lin    .      .  . 

i  ' .  I  a  i '  1     I  '  1 1 1 1 1  a  r  i  1 1  i 

(    I .  I   :  ,i :..  :  -•    .  '  i    •   :'::  -i '  . 

I'll.  Ili-rUi   •  '  •  \  alicr    .      .  . 

(ill.  i  ;in\  ami!   IV>arn     .      .  . 

<    IV.  1  K  in  -nil  M  i  ontaniii  .  . 

(    \  .  Ni,  r.iln    Sa^lV.1,,     .       .  . 

('VI.  A:  ii-r  i  '<  ntai  ini    . 

(  \  I  I.  Mar.  antuiiin  (  ;iu>liniani 

(    \  HI.  I    -Ml)    i-SCo    Mnn.silli     .  . 

i   I  \.  Sil\  t->i  ri  i  \"a!icr 

i  \.  \i.  :-•  \i    -  • :-  .  .    .  . 

(  XI.  (  iinviuitii  *  '"i  tirr    .      .  . 

(XII.  Al.  :~  •  >,  '  .  ~':  in  M 

i   XIII.  <  'arlii  l<u//ini    .... 

(   XIV,  I  :,  _;:   I'isa:  i       .     .      .  . 

(   X\  .  I'u-U'  -  t  Iriiiiani       .      .  . 

<  X\  I.  l-Yan.  rs,  ..  I,  n-  !an    .  . 

i   X\  11.  M    •  •     •  1     -  arini     .      .  . 

'   XVIII.  Al    i-M-  MM>-I-I          ... 

(XIX.  I'a    1     K,  II'K  <     .     .     .  . 

CXX.  1.  ...-.:       Manin    . 


TABLE   OF  THE   PRINCIPAL   DATES   IX 
VENETIAN   HISTORY 


421  (about)  Venice     founded     by    fugitives     trom     Ai|uileia,     Altinum,     and 

I'.uiua.      (According  to  tradition  <>n  March  25,  421,  at  noon.) 
1107      .      .      I'aalus  Lucas  Anafestus  of  Ileraclca  chosen  as  first  l)ojje. 
NMJ          .      I'cpin,  son    ol    Charlemagne,  attcinj>ts    to    take    Venice    and    is 

defeated. 

828  vaboutjThe    body    of    Saint     Mark     is    brought    to    Venice,    and    he    is 
proclaimed     protector    of     the      Republic     in     place    of     Saint 
Theodore. 
o;o    about     I  he  brides  ot   \enice  and  their  dowries  are  carried  oil    by  Istrian 

pirates. 

07;      .      .     The  first  basilica  of  Saint   Mark  is  destroyed  bv  tire. 
<)'jS      .  I'ietro  i  irseolo  is  a. -claimed  as  I  >•>:_; c  of  Venice  and  1  hdmatia. 

()oS  .      The   F.mpcror  (  )tho   111.  vi.-iis  Venice  secretly. 

Venice  i*  rasa^ed  by  the  plague. 
Venetians  deleat  the  1'isans  oil  Rhodes, 
1  lefeat  of  the  Tur'k^  at   lal'fa. 
.       .      'i'lle   I  l.i^e  Uomellico   Michicl   takes  Tvre. 

\'enice   joins   the    Lombard    I.i.-a^ue,  with  Verona,   I'adua,  Milan, 

11-  >1>  i.^na,  and  i  llu-r  cities. 
1172     .      .      Institution     ol     the     (  Ireat     ('oiincil,    in    \vliich     membership     is 

open    and    elective. 

1177      .     .     Tin-      Lmperor      Frederick      I'urharossa      m.ikes     submission     to 

I 'ope   Alexander    111.   at    Venice. 
1177      .      .     Tlie     ceremony    of    the     Kspousal    of    the     Sea     by    the     1  >oi;e 

instituted. 
1202  ''Vt.  Si  The  Venetian   licet   sets  out   for  the    Fourth   Crusade  under   the 

1  )o»e  Fnrieo  I  )andolo. 

1204    April  i  2;  ( 'oii>tantinopK:  taken  bv  the  Venetian  and  French  forces. 

409 


;oo 


GLEANINGS    FROM    HISTORY 


i.>o-     .     .     i  Insure    uf   tlu-    (  ireai    Council,   in    uluch    membership   becomes 

a  ]  rh  ile.^e  of  tin-  nobles. 

i  ;.  « i      .      .      Ci -n^j  lirai  y  •  i   M  avini  >  I '»  ice<  ni.  i. 

I  ;io     .      .      ( 'i  >n^piraev  of  Maiv->  <v>uirini  anil  liaianionte  Tiepulo. 
i;;;      .      .      Permanent  institution  of  the  Coun    il  ol    1  en. 
I  ;.),S      ,      .      Venice  loses  half  her  population  by  the  plaint.. 
i;;(     .     .     Conspiracy  of  Murino  l-'aliero. 
1  ;;u-S  i    .      War  of  ( 'iiio^ia. 
I4<>4~>4    .      I  KiriiiL,'    th's    time    \i-niiv    possesses    hersell,    >  n    i!ie    main 

of    1'ailua,    Ravenna,    \\Tona,    'I'reviso,    \  iccii/.i,    lii'fs.  ia,    lirr- 

^anio,   1  fltre,   i'n-lliiiio.  Crema,  aivl   I  riuli. 
i)o;      .      .      ( 'arlo  Xeno  takes  1'ailua  from  ( 'arrara. 
14.20      .      .      Lraijue   \\ii!i    I'loi'i-nee    eonehuleil.       lireseia    surremlers    t  •    (he 

alli<-']     forces,     th'.1     \"riu-tian     troops     Ix-in^     eominaii'leil     hv 

(  arma^ii'  -la. 

KjjS      .      .      lli-r^anio  surreiiilers  to  Carma^nola. 
l(i-     Ma\  ;    Carm.i^n    la  exeruteii  as  a  traitor  to  tin-  I\ 
14,7      .      .      I'",ra>nio  i;a    Xarni,  nieknameil   ( lattainrlata,  is   inaile   coimnaniler 

i  'I  I  !r.-  \  i  nr!  i.m  a:  in\  . 

1440      .      .      iJartoloimne  >  ('olleoni  is  cominaniler  '-I  tin-  \c-netian  foives. 
14;,     ^l,'.\  2>i    C  nstant  iiiojile     taken     \<\'    tin-     lurks.        M.i!;\     Venetians    are. 

massaereil  anil  mi'.eh   N'enetian  property    -lest  royeil. 
1477     .     .      Scutari,    ln-sie^eil     l>y    the    Turks,    is    sit.    es-full\     ilefeii.Uil    l.y 

Antonio   ,la    1  ,e//e. 
i  ',^-  >      .      .      \  •  :.'.   -  •    .-.  •  :  (        rus.   lea\  inj;    (  at  liarine    Coi     .        •         rinptv 

:  lie  of  its  (Jueen. 
I  VjS      ,      .      !  '  ,•     ,      ol     '       •         '.    '     t\\    i-n    the     I'lmperoi     ^1    •   :     lian,    I 'ope 

I  .', :  >   II..   I .'  mis  \  I  I.  of  I-'raiii  e,  an-!    1  er'iinaii'i  o|   Aratjon. 
i  ;-i    '  '  •.  -     1:  •  •          f   I..       in       v.  on  ilcc'.x   ,,|    \'mi.-e,   i  ;,-n    a. 

Huh   Si  e.  aii'l    Sjiain.   eominaii'li  •!    resjiei  lively   by   Sel.as- 
i       \     hit  r.  Ai     :  •  , .    1  '    •    ..     ii       \lai       nl     •         '          '        ,  Uli'ler 

I  'oil    !    l.n  i  'I    \iMri.i  a*,  o  iiiniian  li-i  -in-i  l;ir|. 
1 5  J.|      .      .      \    -  '      :   I  !  •  •    -.    I  1  I .  .  '   I  •    • .   •  . 
1575-7       •      \  '  '      '.-•'''      •   '    '       la    in-.  I  -r-  one- fourth  i 'I    her  p  ^illation, 

'I  i'i.u  ''..'..•          ;    -  '  •          in 

1577     i  '      .  .-        !  :-  •       .--•--.-     • :         I  I. ill       i     tin-    (in-at     '         -      I,     .     '  '      many 
1630      .      .      Ai  -  '    •  i.. 


TABLK    OF    PRINCIPAL    DATES         ;oi 


1715-18    .     'I  he  Turks  wrest  fr»m  Venice  Crete  aii'l  the  Peloponnesus. 
1784     .     .     Angei"  Hm<>,  the  last  Venetian  leader,  humbles  the  lley  <>f  Tunis. 
I7NS      .      .      Kleui"ii  uf  the  I2ui.li  and  last  Huge,  l.u<h>vie<>  Manin. 
1700      .      .     'I  lie   ceremony   »f   the    Kspousal   ul'   the   Sea  by  the   Doge   takes 

['lace  fur  the  last  time. 
1707    April  iS;  ( ieneral    Bonaparte,   by   the   treaty   uf  Campu-Formio,   cedes 

tn  Austria  the  Venetian    pruvinces   between   the    I'u,  tile   (  ».L,rli", 

and  the  Adriatic,  in  exchange  for  Romagna,  \\ith  I'errara  and 

I !.,!,,  gna. 
I  -')-  'May  12 The    I  )nge    I.udovico    Manin   abdicates,  and   the   Great  Council 

accepts    the     Provisional    Government    required    by    General 

I'-  maparte. 

i  70V  Ian.  iS,  Tin.-  Austrian  garrisnn  takes  possession  of  Venice. 
i>Vjo  ;Oct.  in :  .\ustria    cedes    \\-nice   ti '    Xapdenn    III.,   \vho    transfers   it    to 

Victor  Knmnuel  11.,  King  of  Italv. 


HOOKS    CONSULTED 

Ai. M.M,  I-'..      Kela/iimi  dc^li  aiiil>asciat<>ri  Yeiicti.      15  vnls. 

A.N'uNVM.ii  -.      MI  inumrnti   artistic!   c   stnrici   deile    I'rnvimie  vcnete   dcscriui 

nil'  Arci'h'.i  a  Fcniinandi  <  MassimiliaiM  d'Austria  da  una  o  >mmi>si<ine. 
Anhiviu  sti>ric<]  Italian.',  scric  i.  vul.  \iii. 
A:1,  liiviu  Vciict",  pan  i.  vul.  \i.      iS;i. 
A:  *.•?!<_••  -  Yem-tM  jSi>5)  (sec  I/clow,  CARRKK). 
i!. \--cni  i.  ARMA.MI.      I. us  Arrliivus  do  N'ciiise.     S^uvi-nirs  il'inie  mission. 

I  .'.-s  AiLhi\L---  iK.'  N't-iiisc.      I  lisiiiirc  dr  la  <  hancellcrit  scrri-tc. 
;•;  Mi;u.      I  H-llr  i-titu/i"iii  di  ln.'iH-:iccn/a  iiulla  eitta  f  jirnviiu-ia  di  N'ciuvia. 
li'iNNAi.     t 'luitv   'i'i:n<j   Kcpuhli'iiu'.      \"ciii>c   d'aprcs  k-s  archives  .sccriHc.s  dc 

la   R('[ui!)Ii'iuu. 
I!UM\VN.  11.  I-'.     Life  <m  the  Lagouns. 

\ \  tK-ii.u!  ^'  u  lii-s. 

\'ciiicc.      An  historical  Sketch  i.ftlic  Ki-juililic.. 
iJU'Avx,    K.\\vi'  iN,      \UK-tian   Archives,    \\;t'n    special    rctc-ruiicc    tu    ]'!n^li>h 

HistMi-y. 

C.\i;i;l  I;.      Aii'-lln  di  scttu  LT  •iniin-  u  Ycnr/ia  c  la  .-ua  sluria. 

(.  'i  i  i  in  iii.      Sail'    isiiiu/i"!!-1    di-i    ina_;i>trati   dL-iia    K.    N'cncla    inm   al  scculu 
XIII.     AtciiL-i  \\-netn  f,,r  iSD5    . 

1  >i  alciini  da  i  lid  iirlla  stnria  di  \\  iic/:a. 

La    1;.     rii    \  ciic/ia    r    la    ('urtc    di     Rnnia    ru.-i    rai'jmrti    dc-lla    Uc-li^iuiic. 


( 'ji -ii-;.\.\,   |-',MAM  I.!.!.       I.-cri/i  'iii  \\-iuviaiK-. 

I 'dla  :  il'l'i  i^ralia  \  cmviaiia. 
('r-'iiaca  Ai'ina'.c  ^]iul)lislicd   liyihu  Ai.in'-   KM^^I   in   the  .\i\hi\in  sl"vicn    Ii.il. 

v>  1.  \  iii.  series  i. ). 
DA  r\\\;,   MAUIIN.     II. id. 
[Hi. MI. I  i|i  •'  i.      I  'anti  del  ].,  I|P  .1, ,  \"i:iie,  ian<  i. 

[J'AM  "N.\.      Sludi  di  crilii  a  !•  .stnr:u  Irticraria.      Kuli  i^iri,   i  SSo. 
I )  \\i  -  -I  •  '.      Aj.|ieii'iic.-  Li^li  ill  t;  mi  50  ami:  del  la   K.  Veil    la. 
[>\\:~   .       llist'iU'C   de  la    Rq.uMi^Ue   de   N'el.i-e.       ~   y   !>. 


504         (JLKANINGS    FROM    HISTORY' 

i        I  i  .     !  ..  i  v  >\I.      I  'si  mi/iali. 

I  .   li|M\  \\M.      KraMu  i    liattamelata    il.i    \anii.    Mi"i    1111  'inum-iit  i    c   sua 

fami^Iia.      Iv'ina,  i.s-d. 

I      viiN-1  iii'i'i,  A\iKK'>i-i..     Able  Manuci- et  riiellciiisuic  a  Yenise.      i>s7v 
1  :  ;.:\.     Stiraii/a  S<>ran/u  c  K-  MH-  O'lr.pa^m'.     Arch,  \YIK-I»,  i..  1-^71. 
Sui'li  -u        I :      lisiti ui  <ii  Statu  (incomplete  "i.      Arch,  \\-ii.,  i.,  i  S-  i . 
l  i  u.i.ii'i  i' >i.i.       I  )i-llc    nu-iiinric    \\-iR-tc    antitlic    jirufani;     utl     ucclc^iastichc. 
(>  \~  i-.      \\-iu  /ia.  i  7115. 

hi,  (.'IN  1 1'  >.      llf  atuinitliii. 
(i    i.i"i\i,  ('\KIH.      Menmrif  ]>cr  Tistiiria  ilclla  sua  vita  c  (k-1  sun  teat]  >, 

11\/M!I.      Tlu-   X'ulR-tiail    Ixrjiui 'lir.       2  Vi  ils.       lyco. 

I          \ki\i.      II  (lialettn  VeiKvianu  im<>  alia  nmrtc  di  1  'ante. 

;•    \!ar::i  I  alien  •     fn  in  thu  Arch.  \ On  t>  >   . 
M\i  \M.\M,    \.       (iiu>tina     Ri-iiR'i'     MR'hii-l,    i    suoi     aniii  i,    il     SUM     tcini'i). 

i  Si  )<  >. 

Ml    M   I  1  ,   i  ,:    - :  :  \  \    Ki MI.K.      I  )(.-lla  nri^im     lellc  festi    Vene/cianc.      j  v  .Is. 
MI 'i  Mi  Nil.      I    Kiii'liti  c  i  1'ravi  Mclla  l\.  ill  Vciiu/.ia. 

I     alii  r  i  caiiaii  ili  \  ciRvia. 

I!  <  arpn   i-i..  e  il  Tit-]     !  , 

I.t-  c"ii^iure  '!d  srciili  XIII.  a  \ dir/ia. 

I  .a  1 )'  i^arrssa    li  \\-nc.'ia. 

Si    ria    li  Ycmvin  nclla  \  ita  [iri\  ata. 

>•  ,  :i  c  rii  (-T(  hr. 

Nr.i'vi  stu'ii  ili  sti  'i'ia  c  'i'ailc. 

\-      I    •    -•    -     . 

^i     a?-!  ian   \  rii:c:  i  . 
M     i  ;M  I  I  I,    l-"\    .    .       \nnali  url  -ani. 

( .1     :!:  •  '  i  (K-lla  K.  ill  Veiuv.ia. 

1  !      .  'inllicr    ii  .   \  i-]]i-/:;UH  i. 
1  '.         -'.:,.-•   \  '•;.• 

I.,-!  V,       •    . 

1  .      '  '    '  :  '  '  ll  nil        ••  :i.n-'  >. 

1  .I'--..  Un-1.  ,  v.,1.  i. 

!  .  Vi:          '.'•.•  i. 

1 ;  '  i  •!  i  Vi-iir/ia, 

I  ..:''..  .      1 

•  •    '  •          .     •          .       I  '•  >  v  i  •  1  s . 

-  [),•;'•!  .  '  ,  '         '  |       '  '  •''•'•.• 

.  »'  i\         . 


BOOKS    CONSULTED 


Sun  PI  I.K.      Manualc  ilrlla  ^nna  del  <liiitt.n. 

Si  i.v.vi'li  'I   I.    I.A/./AKI.      tiui'ia  >ti>ru-a  c  i  artist  ira  <l\  \Yiuvia. 

SivMoMn,  SISMI>M>K  IIK.     1  listnin.-  Jas  Ixopuhliijucs  Italiouncs. 

SMKDI.KV,     I1..    \\  .       >k'-ti.iluis     truin     \  ctuiian     J  li.-tdry     (Murray's     1-aniil 

I  iln-ar\    . 
T\>^IM.      I  <•  cniiilaniH:  capitali  piu  uclchri  'K-lla  1\.  >ii  N'ene/ia. 

(  'uriiisiia  \YnLviam-. 

NriTiiii^a  l''raiu''  i,  cortii^iana  e  pni.-t.rssa. 
TllDli]'-,    Ih.iNKii  it.      I)t-i-  Kiiii^  des  I-  fat:i;ipani'. 
l'i;i:  \i  \    1  1  1  •  (  in  i  :  t  •  i}'.     Una  Icttcra  ill  (  'ristufi  >r<-  (  'nlmnlm  ai  \\.'iu  /iani. 

Irri;'!'.'  al   lii.sturynl   N'cnetian   I  .acrs. 
Vi.i'l.i.i  i^.       I  '•'k'ii    iiai'iti    antic!,  i    ct    muilcrni    dci    \  cnc/iaiii      a    rare    o' 


\  ic  il'uii  patririni  .lr  \\-nisc  au  it)1'  sicclc. 
/\\r.i  II.      >iti  pitt..rc-sc!ii  ik-llc  la.mnic  X'mctc. 
/KV",     T\'''i'ii.       \'ita     ill     (  'arln     /A'lm,    in     Muraturi    Scnptnn-s    l<cr.    It. 

vol.   MX. 


IXDKX 


Alvd.,,,  138 

Ac':,ai,;,  I  Hike  i<f,  358 

A,  •:•--,  104 

Adda,  the,  450 

Adelaide,  F.nipress,  70,  7><,  8(> 

Adiir,  tti'1,  -p"-  47° 


Aral..r,  21 

Arbo,  87 

Arho,  Count  <if.  1 10 

'  Archimicidium.'     .w  (  'anai  Ortano 

Areneo,  tin-,  31,  31') 

AriMtocrarv,    development    ut    Venetian, 


Adriatic,  I  .;i ,  143,  "-3.  371,  372,  375.  377,  104-104 

412,  43^  Arius,  21 

eamp,iit;n  ayainsi  pirates  (it  the,  S'j-SS  Anio,  the,  (,7,  .,9 

A'jM'1''".  i  ,e,,na:  dij  da!!',  414  Arnold  of  Hrt'scia,  1 10 

A  artv',  i  ;,  14  Arm\\   inaniitactorv,  j.<  ~ 

A  iiani.i,  (-^  Arsenal,  the,  70,   213,  23  =  ,  236,  293.  330, 

,!         IK}  413 

,"ex   MI.;  ia,  40,  |i  A.-ti,  114 

1-1,  I'.niperor,  133,  134,  13^  Aitila,  14-18 

•'•I--  Y"i;!, •-;'•:,   i  s  v- '  S  '  An.-tria,    I  Juke     i,.f,    221.     222.    ^43,    ^44, 
A  t:il';m,  12,   i;,   17,   KI,  2'.,  2;  48^ 

<  ":i!  i  illl'   '.'•  lit,    I1'.   2  I  .\lltuiillU>,   22 

Amadeiis  ''1  S.ivn},  440  Avignon,  317,  3i'<,   ,5^ 

1   ''  t'  :'-,  !''\  • "'  !  Avoyaduri,  the,   173,   174,   176,   18^,  33;, 

iea    470.  4  a,  ;.,2  437,  438 

Aiiiiaiin,   if,;,  Azov,  Sea  of,  3'x, 

i;a!e-ui.-,    I'.iulus    I.ueas.      At1!.1    undi'r  A/xuno,  Marquis,  18^,2^1 
1.    .-.-, 


i  v.  i  1 1   II.,   i  i ; 

aiidineiii,    Cardinal.      S,'<:    I'upe   Alex- 
ander   III. 
ttiere,  Xiei  lia,  t .-:  I 
.irvLii,  the,  \~  \,  \-,,.   ;n 


C'lLKAXINGS    FROM    HISTORY 


\  in 

210 

;          no.  i.-'o 
IScinho,  Anjjdo,  246 
l-'ram'.-si-o,  4  (2,  4^0 
Mardi.  >ina,  377  ' 
Irnrvmto,  no 

:  :  ;     ;_   , 
llai  k  Sra,  481,  483 

n  ,  '.'.  .  wars  oi  the. 

'    '.    22^,    50(1 

Hi  11  ci  .nil  i,     Mat  ino,    i')i-i"  },     2. 

24  1 ,      2  -  - 

i,    I'ilTO,    J22,   323 

I'loloLjna,  114 

II  ird'onc,  Paris,  266 

:  .  42  , 
I'n  isphoi  IIS,   I  ,  -      ,;  I 

arn    is,  201     207 

Bran  io,  47;,  47-1 

::'.<'<  'lint,  47r> 


i         :  1 


(  'atVa,  port  of,  2, ,2 

i  'aiabria,  (>S 

( lali-iul  irin    I'Miipjn),  328,  .,32-334 

Call.-  dd  Cappdlo,  242 

doi  l-'abbri,  235 
(  !alloiK\-rio,  Nil  i  c  lii-tto,  ^22 
(  'all  ijolianm-s,  I'',nip.-i'i  ir,    V" '  3''4 
(  'ali  iprini,  the,  55,  KM,  too 
(   ammo,  !i  irds  i  it,  iSij 
(  'ampani'u',  47,  178,  171,,  I  So 
i  lanai,  Ma:  tin  da,  2-1 
(  'anai  (  >rtano,  32,  ti.'i,  2^'i 
(  'aiulia.      .SVv  (  Iroto 
Cancliano.  the,  73    - .'   8;,  oo,  iji,  100,  169. 

S,',-  ,i/.\  •  u !!,:,->    ]  Jogr.S 
(  'anr,  I  ar;ni  i,  4  1 4     ;  ;  ; 
(  lannai  ia  >li,  the,  i  (n,  iiyS,  ii,y 
(  laorlc  lasjoi  -n,  72 
CapcCorso,  .,-., 

of(ioo<l   llop,.,4,)2 

1 :  1  '  .  1 12 

Mai. -a,  ;  ,- 
(  lai-ava.u^io,   102 

;  ;2 

(  lari'^ini,  th'1  diri  miclcr,   ^  i  ; 
1  lannai;iiola,  423,  4  |n  4'-.  474 

tria    and  <  v  >  uti.  in  ot,  4VJ    )  , 
Carol. !n,  370 

,  .•  r> 
Carrara,  tin1,  3<ji   3"3,  314,  317,   i54,   r'- 

4'5.  •!-!  43'' 

Ali  PCI  liin  i.  31  i 

Franctsco,  381    ( r ;,  424  427,  431,  430 

[•'ran  •      \          ,  427-434,  43'! 

lao-pc,    3    , 

Mar.-ilio  ill,    <MI     -     • 

I   .  i  Ira,   ;  •-    ;.<,' 

I  bcrtino,  303 
i  ',i-i  iiii.  ( iiovani 
i  '..  -;•  •  •  •  ;  .  i  -  ;.  i  v,  I  ,  ,  :  .  ,. 

!ti. 

i    ,:    ':   .    .•:;.•,('.:  -:;  i,    .  .o,   i  -   , 


1XDKX 


509 


Charles  1 1.  <>f  F.ngland,  i3i  '  Con-tantinople.   12,   13,  33,  35,  104-106, 

CM;     i-s  [I.  ot  Naplvs,  231  109,364,470,471,482,483,402 

Ch.irlo  I Y.  ot  I!olu-miu,22l.  319,  354,  357  Latins  of,  143 

Charleb  VII  I.  o!  Fra n >:••,  4  .4  taken  by  Turks,  480 

i  ":;iet  el  Mi. it;. i,  ,2  taken  by  Yenetians  aiui  French,  120- 

s  hinn//.o,  3^8  144 


i  .hii  rj^ia,  ii,  117,  iiu,  224,  3:54 

i  .'l.n  itiii'le  i 't  .Minium,  m,  21 
Church,  Gr.-,-k,  13;.  139 

1  ,atin,  i  ,4 
Church  buildings,  features  of  early  Ycnc;- 

tian,  4'; 
Church'^  ,„_ 


Venice  and,  124-146 
Contarini,  the,  3  ^2 

Andrea.     .Sly  under  Doges 
And  mio,  442 
Cristina,  310 
Leonardo, 465 
Lucre/ia,  405 
Toninias.ina,  315 


Saint  Nicolas,  i,,7,  204 

Saint  Sophia,  ;  jo 

San  Francesco  delia  \'igna.  .;;£ 

San  ( jiaconii ),  123 

S.i,".  (  iii  iv.inni  e  I'an'i . 

San  I'l. -in)  d'  (  >livolo,  60 

San  Sa>.  .tore,  123 

San   Yitn,  205 

Satit'  Ant'  mio,  41  } 

Sant'  Apulliliare,  122,  123 

Santa  Maria  di-lla  <  Vle-tia,  436 

Santa  S'  ifia,  1.13 

<  1  i  e  i  •  1 1  i    22; 

(  '  uek  'i  oner,  the,  107,  177 

ii,  llartol.jininco,  423,  484 

111    itlUllli-Ilt   ot,  4-  ^ 

ibr.s  Chri-:.:p!  er,  402,491 

.'•"••r  ',:,  i|-;'.t.-d,  4.,!  -4  ,2 
(  a.lirrnn  ot  S  dm  M  ,rk,  170,  185 

o!  Saint  Theudon-,  182,   183 
Consn.-nus    F:n;.eror  Manuel,   10- 


Saint  I  lilary,  78 

Saint  Law  rence,  340 

Saint  /acharias,  74,  85 

Santa  Maria  di  Yaivenlc,  246 

Sta.    Maria    ik'llu    \'eigini,    243,    244, 

203,  459 
Corfu,  138,  43y 
Cornam,  Catharine,  490-41*1 

l-'edcrico,  401 
Corner,  Cati-rina,  3^2 

(iiorgio,  462-465 

Marco.      See  under  1  >ogi-s 
( loronation  of  the  Dogi.'.-.>,  2v,7-3oo 
(Ji  iroiujta,  87 
'  Correctors,'  i;i 
( '« irsi  i,  Xuan  da,  333 

<  lorsola,  87 

Council,  the  Great.      See  Great  Council 

<  'ouncii  of  Forty,   i^o,    161;,   171,  172,  17^, 

25?.  ^08,  ^  n,  -;  17,  321-  ^j  ; 
Council  nt"  '1'i-n,  24;   i~.\,  2  ,\,    \\\,    \\\- 
340,   350,  434,    437,   45",   458,  460, 

4'  '5-4  74 

jirnnanent  institution  nf,  248 
(  Irenia,  i  1 1 
Creini  iiia.  i  14 
Crete  H'andial,  143.  304.  313 

I  Irimea,  the,   ^70 

<  In  iati.1,  King    .  >t,  i_/o 


io          (il,K  \\I\CS    FROM    HISTORY 


II    i  ,|,    1  jy    Venice,    4</>-      I  )o-e: 

;  ,1  C  il.lileni^o,   I'lrtl',1,    170,    171,    2o3 

conspiracy  a-.iin-t,  J2--242 
1  i  a  in, ilia.  3'-.  .--.  S8.    ion,    ii",   133,   2. (2,  Malipieri,  I'asquaie,  473 

.     :  .'-'.  43V,   i'5 

Mllke   .    ' 

Man.lo'.o,  A-iK'M',  354 
,  345 

( jii  ivanni,   ;..'-    ^'> 
I  !•  nianlo,  3;  i 


MustvopiiTo,  (  )rii  i,  I  ;  T    150 
M  ichel,  1  )•  micnii  >  i,  i,  5.  i    i 

Vital  I  I.,  108 

M>  nxMiijji  >,  Tomasi  i,  4  ;'>,  i  V"   4  |2, 
445,  It' 

spcccli  of,  quoted,  44"-44J 
Me  iro-iui,  Miclicle,  4  i  ^ 
(  >be    •]  ii  i,    ji 
Orseolo,  (  Ittone,  i,ci,  1,1 

I  Metro  I  1  .,   -•      ,1 .  ii-. 
Darn,     1-4,     370,     yj2,     424,     434,     4'^,  ,         Otso,  33 

171 

1     '       '     in  Venice,  ii/> 
I'oLje,   the,    !a\\s    reforming    election  o 
14-    i     ; 

'     :    -I" 

titles  ,  it,   i  [3,  14') 
unlimitei :  po\\ei  ,  it,  i  )  •; 
:          men      202  -  2' .5 
Mo- 

Alial'e>Hi'-,  I  'anal-   I  .ir.M-,    -;  I ,  Ii,; 
li.irhani',0,  AgoMino    .,     , 
M.I:.         .     , 

Pieti'o  1  1 1.,  70,  73,  278  Moltm,  ( Jiovanni.     .Vv  ituJi'i    I  ),  igi'.s 

I'lettn  l\  .    -:  -  ;     .  ,,  27;  Dona,  M  in  o,  235,  241 

Monalo,  I'lrmolao,   \<    , 

.     ,  .                 '  :     :  i  ;             I  '.::'•.    ,      .  5  -  i . 

'                '-I  -     ;    ,                      Mori),  tin-,  22,- 

I  )  Mr  ;  •  ,  •.    '•  '  i   3' '" ,  3  i'),  37  i         I  >i  e->  in  early  Venice,  2- .   :  i    :_• 

•       .  1         il  proini-e,'  t^i ,  2  i 

1    •     .               i ..'      :  ;  :               ,     .                  I1.-.:.-   i   .     ,       •  '          ; 

.;<  (                                       Mura/./o,  13-,  143 

I           (  il    ,\                 :  1  >,'.••                l-e-.  leal 

:       '    '  '•  •  IIP 

i  V!  rino,    i',i    P     ,    .- 

i-,:..  .n!  III.  oi  Mi 

1     r-l  .       .  :  I     '••••;; 

1  i    •   .    •    .      .  I  ',      '       i  n  1 1 1  ;  I  i  •  •  •  1 1 1  a  i 

1  ,      •  .  ',.;.: 


l'ar:iH-i|i.i/ii  i,  AiilH-'lc  i,   58 
Siij'ar./,  i,  (  lii  IN  anni,  2^-    240,  2  ).: 

21,1    2>»5 
captivity    of    tin-   il  nii;hti-r    ,  if, 

24=;,  2l'.i   -"! 
Sti-llii,    Mirhci,  3-14,  43'),    13,-;.    i  .;  , 

Ticpoii),  ]acupo,  153,  i  -•>    i^,,  17 

1  .  ':  ••:!.•  '.  22- ,  j  . - 

/,-!:•  I,    R.inifr,    J-  1 
/.i.ini,   I'irtro,  2)^ 

S  "    •  .   i  i  -  ,   i  22,   i  -..:.  ;  ;  -; 

/•  ir/.i,  M.i!  in,  j,,[.  2  ..• 


IXDKX 


1 1 


F.neti,  tin-,  .j 

Kngland.  .,4,  124,  304,  470,  488 

F.'ji.ilio,  tribune  of,  31,  32.  190 

war  between  1  k-ruclua  and,  32,  l>/5          (jabaro,  303 
Kroli,  Marchcse,  47'),  477  (James,  public,  205 

•  F-;>on.-         •  t!    :  S.  'a,'  ceremony  of  the,    (jam  ing  establishments,  181-184 

i  iarda,  Lake  ol.  470 
,  (iattamrlata,  Frahino,  423,  474,  476,  477, 

484 

Gominianus,  21  .  47 
(  ieneral  Assembly,  T>O 
(jenoa,  94,  95,  1,7,  I'-o,  101,  103,  114,  121, 

144,     145,     146,    228,    200,     30'J,    317, 

3J9.  413.  424 

in  the  War  of  Chioggia,  36(^-415 
(  ienoese,  the,  202,  304,  305,313,  314,  325, 


(  ierni.itiie  influence  in  Yenetia,  110-123 

(ji-rmany,  in,  114,  134,  203 

(iheltof,  M.  I'rbain  de,  4^1 

(  ihibe'.'ine  ])ar!y,  <m,  2^3 

'  (  lianl.i'  Staircase1,'  21^6,310,  319 

(  ii'ubo!),  139 


•'  ••  j.ij<  .-ijo 

Saray,  321 

•;•  ,;/..     under  Doges 
Famine,  >,i 
F.-a>ts  of  — 

A  !  Saints.  2'55 

the   A.-ce-,!>ii  ill.    I  IO 

Martin   da   Canal'-,   description  of,  Gioia,  Flavio,  95 

2-1   205  ( ji'.idt/cca,  the,  50,398,  309 

ti,e  l'ur;tii  atioii,  73  ( jiu~tiniani,  the,  108,  300,  443 
Sain!  Uaibara.   \~  \  Clit'otlicle,  the,    ^l~ 

shop  of,  35-)  Federigo,  341 

]  i-r:,tr. i,  7".   iOo,  114,  i  i",  28'.),  292  Stefano,  289-290 

•  of,  40'),  485,  4.-S  'laddeo,  317,  302-384,  391,  3,4,  410 

war  b'  f.\  -••  n  Venice  and,  250-232,  488  ( ilas^-making,  188,  211,  212 

F'-nd-,  timily,  too,  190,321  (io'd,  \Vi!liani,  406,  412 

'(loldni  Hook,1  the,  1^5,  241,  3v5,  477 

1  i-!;i-rmen'>  I  )<  ••.:'•,  202-205  ( ioiidola,  48-49 

Flibiatiico  Doiii'-nico.    A,v  under  Doges  ( jon/aga,  the,  501 
I'".'  ir'.'ii'-e,  -~.   loo.  210,  250,260,301,30'',  I.udovico,  1 8 1/ 

444,  14^,448,449  (iotiis1  invasion,  13-14 


'    :ve  ri'l-.n-o:.:,1  200 

ari,  l-'rar,eeseo.     See  uiulcr  Doges 

I"    .p..,  444- 4'i5-4/3 

M., r,-,,,  473 

1  ran;-,  113,  I2f>,  T2'">,  i"S,  488 


Fiordalisc,  340 
( li'  ivanni,  78 

I.ndovica,  315,32),  3(0-3.;! 
Sty  ti/.i  '  inidfr  Dogo 
(irado,  II,  21,  41 

patriarch  of,  I  17,  120.  i,/> 
•      i  Clraml   (.'anal,  3,0,  93,   180,207,210,221, 

irk  l!arbaro.-<a,  110-122  225,  4'Y~>,  467 

'.  •  .  -  ind,  126-144  C.reat  (Council,  tin1,  12;,  140-15:;,  i^-, 
211.  217,  227,  220.  25,,  2|i,  251, 
2^0,  308,  311,  310,  324,  414,  437, 
4J-  447.  47J 


GLEANINGS    l-'RO.M    HISTORY 


>    i  '-,    closure   dt,    P'|      17;  ]ol;i,m    islilllds,     1<).| 

membership  i  suited  to  tlio.>e  ut  iej;iti-  Ixiai    (Ant;e!o-o,    Knipcror,  133,  15^,1^, 

in, !if  birth,  i'Hy  Isaivlio,  Uenuceio,  32^,  i-'",   ;2o,  -554 

origin  Hi,  i  |  ,  Island  ui  Saint  (jror^e,  207 
'  .                    tins:,  :;_>                                            •         'it  S.in  Servolo,  88 


i  ireei  <•.  •-.  lo-i   10,,,  377 

Km]  "-r<  ir  i  it,  i 13 

•    i-  ot  the,  2cj,  33,  3;;  I  [amis,  Kin!*,  17,  1 8 

1  i  li,  N  ui        ;   7,  .('  i3  in,  [02,  104 

(  irin  1,1:1  i.  Anii  inin,  ambassador,  7  • ,  ~-i  \>  >ok>,  i  it> 

Ami  inii  •,  admiral,  )  -  ^  404  |eu>,  i"11 
( irossis,  ( jas|     n    dc,   ;•  j,  4's  mna,  Queen,  358 

•   i.i,    I  Msjess,  75,  7-.    So  |o>ap:;at,   2O(j 

-  ut   arts  and   trades,  210-218,  2yS-  Indicia!  bodies,   i;s 

,i u  |nstiiia,  -jj 

(  liii  iro,  (  ilierardo,  So  )u>lini'in,  .4  r 

I'aiulects  of,  05,  i  ^S 
'  I  I. ill  of  the  fireplace,'  44 
1 1,i|  >-l  nii'L;  t.i  milv,  v> 

1  !awk\\ i,  l-ilm,  (07,  428  lerusalem,  95 

I!  I/I:::,  Mr.,"  //},•   r,v/,-//  ,•//    K^/tM/c,  ^3, 

;  ;-•   4  v)  1  .acedai  'Hi'  in,   i  i  ^ 

!.  2- ,   -;-,   ; ;,  i  /  •  i  .   •  •    ,          •  ,    \  •  •  ••  •     ..•  , 

I]  ,-,  i  )  inlln  -MI  e  oi    (irei  Is--    and    [.oml  iards 

1  [i-rmes  '  .I'  i  i'ym|  iiu  ,  the,  -  nil.  2>/ 

1  I  n:h   (  'li  UK •<•  1  ir,    i  7'i,   i  77,   i  :  )    i    •  -,  .'•    ',  I  .  ;    ;:: 

1  I  il.l .  !,:  .nid.      \;'  I'.ipe  (Incurs    \  I  I .  (  M  in  Mastro])iero's  code,  i  -, 

Hnly  Land,  tli1',  too,  104,  i  ;_>,  i  ; ;,   i  54  re^nlatini;  in.ii'iiiine  trat'lie,  i<^ 

l\iiin.in  l.mjiiiv,  ^'i,  7,;:,  ;-;^  ,  Laws     and    law-stivers,     e,nl\     X'eneti.in, 

\\"ar,  i  ;j  14')    i  vy 

1  I.  iiner,  7.  J2  ^  I  ..i  /ina,  hi-i 

'  1  I'  >  •••  '  '  ';': ','  i'  ''.    |  V'i  La //a  i  im,    jl  I,  -518,    5  J  I,  323,  337,    vl°.   v|  I 

:  I  ll.e  I'leia,  j'u  1  e^naiio,  hatlle  ut,   I  15 

1  Mil  :  (lie  Mortar,1  2.\2  Leo,  l'.m]i  Tor,    [o 

i  I  i        •        t  Saint  I'.uil,  ij'i  Lepanto,  (ijj 

4  I   (  Levant,  tile,   TOO,    lo.J,    T' "i  ; 

:  I  , e / / e ,  A  II t o  1 
I  III           y .  i.5.i  I.nca  da,  33  | 

K  !>:.        1 1       i'        I        ,.    22]        .      I          •-,     :  '  I  ,    ,;  -  2  ]  .1 .  i  i  i ,    I  :  1 1  • ,    1  •  i,     I      J  .     i    I  '  ,    J'    ~      -"  '7  ,    ^ ;  I  <  , ,    3  '  '  ' 

1  1  'in- '  iii\  i  -ii  in,  i  --[tj  -  i     r  2     ;  -  ;,  .i', ),  3>;.- ,  41  4 

Lion,   Nieeolo.   . 

/    . •  '.  :'  •  I  ,ii  in  ot  Saint  Mask.  17",  s  \; 

Ind    .,  -,  ;    |.,j  Li-li-.n,  (l,2 

I  nn  I  .o'li,  1  t.j 

r  ••  1..  •  :i  i:   ir.eo,  21  ,  l.ui.  M,  liaill.-  of,  371,  37'. 

i  /;•.',.  21  ,  Loin       ril  ]  :-  -,   i  i  |    i  i  -..  3  so 

\  ••'  :        i.iin     I'M-,   i  i  | 

:  •        '      ..  [      - 

•     ,    A        ,  :       i:.  230  .  '  -.11: 


INDEX 


(,,*,.!«„-!>•,   in,  4-2 

-  ,,[  i:,e  \i-ht,1  229,  230,  235 
Lui.-d  in.  !',.  ri.'.a,  311 
i  ,11, \  itini,  407 

•i.  4')u,  470 
IViin.  470 

.1  ,,  p,,n  of,  400 
I ...  i:-  o!    IV. ., is,  13-) 
.  i  .1-  i  .1    I  i  mii;ar\ .  413,  424 


Micliirl,  Nicci >;<">,  J  10 

.Sv  ,;/-,<  Hint'  r    I  Juki's 
Miian,   07.    [ii,    ii},  318,    42'),    443-445 
450,  470.  47v,  483 

Duke  i.f,  423,  448,  452 

lords  ot.      -V,r  \'i.si  onli 
Mocrnigo,  (jidvanni,  334 


I'l-tro.  304,  31/0,  31)1 
Toina-o.      .\r  'mi der  Do^es, 
Modrna,  I  14 

Mod,.n,  batik-  of,  372-373 
Mohammed  II. ,470,  480-488 

takes  (  'ollMantinopie,  480 
Molina,  the,  223 
Moimcllti,   u/l ,  205,  242 
Monae:,  I,oren/o  dei,  318,  326 

Saint  Anthony  ot    I'adua,  269 
Saint  ( jeori^e,  289 
i  ,-.  Saint  Nieoias,  108,  381 

Ma  ;pie:i,  I'asqiiali'.     ^fe  under  I  Joges  Sant'  llano,  84 

'-  .17  //,'  d' Arthur,  354  Monte  Haido,  the,  478 

'danfivdonia,  412  Montterrat,  Martjiiis  of,  143 

M  niiii-rs  and  i.- us'..  HI  is  ir.  X'l.'iiic.-,  2^7-277     M.  antoit,  Simon  de,  13^ 
Matileyna,  477  Moro>illi.  the.  85.  86,    [GO 

Mat;;;ia,    I  I  |  Mareo,  230 

Duke,,t,  424   443,474  I         Miehele.      .s',v  under  \  )o-es 

Mari',.-!  '.-,  i  -i  i!iipa>s,  i,^  M  on  )sini,  the  historian,  458 

Mali. mi,  Kix/ardo,  322,  323  Morroni',  1'ietro  da,  82 

Maritime  I  "niviTsitv    tlie,  ,)  Motisa  and  his  ptr;,tes,  90,  100 

"'ias^f  i  u.-tonis  in  Venice,  58-09,  270-     Murano,  n,  ^8'),  ^M 

(  'athedra;  at,  10 
i; '.ass-makers  of  188,  21)^ 
M  urati  ifi,  '),   ^4.  398 
Muse.o  (  'ivico,  85 
M  ii-iMini,  (  'orrcr,  242.  -^o. 
M  iissuiinans.  40,  481,  485 

Nap!,.,,  ,,7 

Kin:;  i  if,  I  i  ; 

Narenta,  pirate-,  of,  58,  88,  278 
Xarni,  Kra-mo  da.      .-•,••   Ciattame 
Xars.-s,  41,  47 
Xeyru,  Mareo,  332 

X'-i^r.  i]n  itlte,    I  i8.    ^'iS,    57] 
Xiec.Kotli,    the,   I'i; 

an.  1  (  lasti'lliini,   ii,o   21  8 
Xii  eplion  is,  1  '.mp.-r.  .1 .   ,o 
X<innan~,   U.K.)    loo 


514          GLEANINGS    FROM    HISTORY 

Patriaivliates  of — • 
(iradu,  113 
Venue,  i  13 
Patras,  357 
I  'aui,  I  lishop,  i(i,  20 

the  i  leacon,  i  5,  SM 
Pavement,  Venetian,  4^ 
Pavia.  50,  450 
/'t'l/i'gi  ///,/,  tin-,  i  ;  j 
l'enta])olis,  eities  ot   the,  20 
Pi-pin,  attempt  to  take  Venice  by,  35- }S 
I  'era,  4,-',  i 

Pereenla^e,  invention  ot,  1^5    i^'i 
Persia,  Kin-  of,  48; 
Peter,  the  Apostle,  22 

the   I  lenilit,   I  oo,    IO2 
Petiareh,   iSu,  22;.    \\^,,   318,    ^7! 

cjuoted,  346  350 
Phai'-thon,  L;ro\'i-  of,  i  ^ 
Phiduis,  7  ' 

Padua,    72,    i^,    17,    iH,   2^,   ~>\    114,    14^,     Philip  \"I.of  l-'i  a  nee,  304 
2'',,    235,   239,    292,     .501.   302,    3'i.j,     Philip  of  S\\alii.i,  1-54 
317,354,380,424,420,427,430  Piaeenx.a,  78,  in,  114 

.     '  if.      Sec  (  lai  Lira,  the  Piav:-,  the,   I  ^ 

Serovc,i;iii  of,  ici/  Pia//a  ot   Saint  Mark,  l  i  },  176,  177,  178, 

P.ulnaiis.  i  i  2  ^,  237,  207 

Palaces  nl  Pia/./.etta,    the,     117,     176,     17.-'.    183,    184, 


Din    erio.  ]  ii  is;.-,  30    .57 

i      •  .  tli'-.  22  ; 
Ohvolu,  12,  37,  4",  -17,  70 
(  irdelato,  Marino,  310 
Orseoio,  ihi-.  -•>.  .-;_•  <,j,  100,  i>x.j 

I  )>  i nir i]  K  ' ),  no 

( iii  >vatnii,  90,  i»i 

Hue:, i,  go 

\iv  ..-.'.     under  I  Jojjrs 
(  irso,  I  >ojji',  33 
(  Ksei  o,  (  'mint  ot,  1 10 

<  Istrogolli*,  19 
(  )lh(i  I..  7-; 

(  nli-)  II.,  78,  07-1,8 
Olho  III.,  88-89 

<  Uli. i  IV.,   134 


240 

the  Tirpolo,   I'u 

the  '/A  mi,  221 

i  •  .   i  :  -.  .  i  ;  ' 

I  .         M  ,145,  [.;•> 

i          "i<  i,  < .7 

Paie.-tini',  I  2'),  l  27     I 

Pal.     :,    • 

132 

I  !     I ,    ,7 1 

1'ali    In  -  o] 

Sa in!  .\        ti no,  2' 

Saint  ( i    •  . 

Santa  Man. i   l''onin»a,  72.  73 
Parma,  I  i  ; 

1  '  '        I'     , 

•  ...          .   ,      j    , 

Pa   qua  i-  .,  <  'no,   y., 
Palii  in  1    I'.-     r,| 
Aqui:  -i;i     113 


Pi'"  Inn  'in.  448 

i  'ieta,   I  1.1  I  'ieruz/.o  tlella,  2''i 
Pilato,  I  .eontio,  223 
Piraie>,  31 ,  58,  cyu,  too,  273 

liridi-s   ot    \'rnie«-    stolen    l.y    Lstiiaii, 

7' ;   73 

Pisa,  </.(    101 ,  T  ji,  i  ^,  !.|) 

Pi^ani.  N  ieei  iio,    ,14.   ^71 ,   i72 
\  /•  ir,  v  25  \.  3'  j.  3"7 

death  and  i>ui  iai  '  -t.  4  i  2  413 

in  lln-  War  ot   (  Ihii  >L',L;ia ,  374   4  i  | 

I'K;m-,  \'enetians  di-leat  the,  oil   Rhodes, 

i"! 
I '  ntrnc,  i  ,ivu»cs  of.  !,r.   lo'i,  28'),  3<  <>  308, 


IX  DFX 


Alcxandei    III.,  108,  111-123 

(  ."einetlt    \'.,    296,    500 

(.'lenient  \'i  ..  3-4 
tire^.ry  VII.,  230 
Hadrian  IV.,  no,  in 

Innocent  III.,  i2'>-i  35 
Itiiii  icciit  \'I ..  517,  319 
Innod-nt  VIII..  489 
M.u-tin  V.,  450,  47--, 
Nicolas  V.,  482 
!'ii:s  1 1. ,484 
Sixtus  IV.,  488 


Res^io.  1 14 

Regulations,  nautical,  157-158 

Religion,    Venetian     legends    connected 

with,    262-2')S 

Republic  of  Florence,  125 
ot  Saint  Mark,  55-54 
maritime,  of  Amaifi,  94 
of  (Henoa,  94 
of  Pisa,  94 
Rhap-odists,  the,  7 
Rhodes,  inland  ot,  104,  405 
Ria'.to,   the,   12,   37,    38,  40,  47,   176,   189, 
190,  204,  229,  238,  239,  242,  320,  381 
Rimini,  18 
Komanin,  4,  122,   130,  226,  2^2.  321,  322, 

339.  37°.  434.  447.  449.   45s,  4'H. 
405,  471,  483 
Romans,  the,  ^6 

Rome,  12,  13,  no,  113,  114,110,  1 33,  1 34, 
136,   144,    165,   258,    289,   296,   418, 
488 
\  enetian  fleet  defeated  at,     Romeo  and    Juliet,  early   version  of  the 

story  of,  82 

*.il,  4. ,,2  Konca^lia.  Ill 

.-itaiii  i,  >y-j  Rossi,  b 

>//.},  the,  2^4,  521,  419  Ko-si,  Lucia,  241,  242 

.ixiteles,  7  Rovigno,  87 

•  -.uadL  (!:•-,  150.  537 
ivjii- and  pn.-ojii  r-  in  fourteenth  cen-    Sabellico.  370,  486 

tury,  2^v  2;o  Sabines,  hi 

iu'.i,  Andrea,  483  Sa^redo,  45          . 

visional  (iovernment  of  Venice,  240       Saint  (jeoiye,  i-land  of,  267 
il'-mni-,  104  Saint   |ohn  tiie  liaptiM,  2^,  179 

liilic  crier,  ot'lice  of,  176,  177  Saint  Mark,  39-42.  207 

body  brought  to  \"enice.  40-41 

rarantie,  the.      .Vt- Council  of  Forty  column  of,  170,  183 

;iiu:tni, in,  22^  iibraiy  of,  22^,  2^4 

lirini,  ihe,  22-    247  proclaimed  protector  of  Republic,  41 

Andreo.o,  2;;  ])rocur;itors  ot,  180,  292,  2./^ 

lien-d-tto,  253.257  standard  of,  87,  241.  200 

|:ii  op.  i,  254  war-crv,  41,  34^ 

M  ireo,  con>pirac\-  of,  228-242  Saint   Mails'-  (Ihnrd),  47.  57,  ;</,  ''^.  '"«), 

7''.  77-  7-';.   87,   120,    177,    1 56,   204, 

iva«;tiinii,  Me-ser,  189  Sain!  Mark'-  I-'ee,  4711 

tvi'lllia,   11,20.52,38  Saint    Mark'-    Squaie,   4'";,    180,    l-,i,    184, 

lyattas,  205-200  200,  237,  329,  574.  392,  450,  484 


516  CI.KAMNCS    FROM    HISTORY 


'.'  .    1  ^'.    I<(2 

Sa!\  •        •    i  JT 

San  l.'.emen'.c,    ; !  J 

Sal     Mai    •        .  '     ••     ;;••.<',  I  i" 
Sati   M.I  uri/i'  i.    i_'  i 

>.m  Stctam  >,  t<>\\  n  ,uul  abbey  ot,   I  ;S 
SaiiM'vci  me  <,  k<  ilicrii ',  4  J4 
Sansi  i\  ini  •     . 
San-i  ivini  i,    laenpci.  ^M 
S  mi '  At; i  isi  nil  i,  j  )') 
~-  •  •  •     Maria  ilcila  ( .'a:  ita,  i  20 
i     '.  -I  M 
ii-nxa     ;~J 
S 

-       (    hukc  ,,f,  .(r,o 

•    , 

>    ,  •,   :-•; 

• 


Si  'i  aii /i  i.  (  liiivanni.     Xiv  iiuJt'i'  I  )i  >^'js 
:_;n  ( )rder  ul  Malta,  yj 

" 

1  ,   \\\ 

Stella,  370,  470 
Stcili  i,  the,    ,ji.    }jj 

i  il«  ivaiini,   ,JJ 

Mich     .    jjj,    ,  '-     •,-•>.      .V'-'  J/   '  :i'!.:c 
I),. yes 

Miclit-letti),    ^jj     ;j| 

I'anln,    ;ji    jjj 

Sara\     -;jj 

Stein  i  I'aljeri '  Irial  -     \2  i     ;j> 
Sieplicn   111.  i  'i  II  unjj  tn 

S\rai  IIM',  r  ieye  .  i| 


I  anri'ei  I  i  it  1  laillcvi      ,  ] 

! 

I.  :•,.:.,.  IV,-:. 

' 


INDHX 


51/ 


>[•<  i'i'.  '.   KnMl'  •  '  (1:1,    )O 

•  nun, i,  i  i  | 

i-  ol  til.-  Slie-U'uif,  304 
•a.ikion.ii  !a\\ ,  27 
<•••-.  4" 


Yemer,  Antonio,  365 
Yerceiii,  1 14 

Yerme,  I  .uchino  dal,  346 
i  \Vroli,  iio 

Yerona,  114,  317,  340.  346,  424,  42'),  477 
Veronese,  I'aoio,  4,  210 
i ;  (   221,  239,  302,  312,  342,  388,    Viw-nza.  76,  114,  239 

Yiuani,  Matteo,  315,  330 
Yiliehardouin,  Geot'fivy  ile,  138,  139 
Visconti,  the,  317,  319,  444,  445 

Antonia,  447.  458-400 

13'  3°4.  344.  354.  35^.  479-4S3,  492          Hcrnahn,  424,  428 
.  i  ^  Bianca,  478 

IrJtorr,  447 

Kilippo-Mavia,  444-464,  478,  479 
Giovanni,  371,  373 
Giovanni  (ialray/o,  424-430,  444,  447, 


\Va''.arhians.  143 

\Varin  the  monk,  83,  84 

'  \Vi-.j  M.-n  ot  tin:  I'layiiL-,'  306,  307 

\Voim-n  ot  \\-tiici:  — 

in  fou:  tcentli  crnturv,  203-270 
[irotrction  of  property,  15-)- 157 

X.ara,   83,    133,    134,    239,    242,    304,    314, 

319 

/riio,    Carlo,   5,  353-308,   378-380,  402- 
415,  426,  451-430 

tun-Ta!  of,  4  v> 

tomb  of,  430 

KanitT.     ><•'•  itiij:'i-  I  )OL,ri-s 
X.iani.     S,Y  ,«;<!,•>•  I  )o-e-, 
'/onta,'  the,  334 
/or/i,  M  irin.     >'--•  under  Do-e.s 

/llCUl  .1,    NJLCoi.".,    329 


SOUTHERN   ITALY  AND    SICILY 

AND 

THE    RULERS    OF   THE    SOUTH 

By    F.    MARION    CRAWFORD 

WITH    A   Ht'NIiREI)   ORIGINAL   DRAWINGS    HY    HENRY    IJROKMAN 

Cloth  Crown  8vo  $2.50  net 


AVE   ROMA   IMMORTALIS 

STUDIES    FROM    THE    CHRONICLES    OF    ROME 

By    F.    MARION    CRAWFORD 

///////'  >r  <>/'  ••  7vV//(V.v  of  I  lie  S<>iit/t^  etc. 

Fully  Illustrated      Cloth      Crown  8vo      $3.00  net 


Ii:    MACMILLAN    COMPANY 

64  66    FIFTH   AVENUE,    NEW    YORK 


Writings    of    F.   Marion    Crawford 


i2mo       Cloth 


Whosoever  Shall  Offend    .  $1.50 

The  Heart  of   Home              .  1.50 

Cecilia             i  50 

Marietta  .                        ...  1.50 

Corleone        .           .      .            .  1.50 

Mr.   Isaacs 1.50 

Dr.  Claudius      .      .            .      .  1.50 

A  Roman  Singer  .      .      .  1.50 

An  American  Politician  1.50 

To  Leeward       ....  i  50 

Zoroaster 1.50 

A  Tale  of  a  Lonely  Parish  1.50 

Marzio's  Crucifix  .      .      .  1.50 

Paul  Patoff 1.50 

Pietro  Ghisleri       ....  1.50 

The  Children  of  the  King  .  1.50  ' 

Marion  Darche      ....  1.501 

The  Three  Fates  ....  i  50  ] 


Katharine  Lauderdale   .  $1.50 

The  Ralstons    .           ...  1.50 

Love  in  Idleness  ....  2.00 

Casa  Braccio.  :\  vols.      ,      .  2.00 

Taquisara     .      ,      .      .      .      .  1.50 
Adam  Johnstone's  Son,  and 

A  Rose  of  Yesterday       .  1.50 

Saracinesca i  .50 

Sant'   Ilario 150 

Don  Orsino        ...            .  i  50 

With  the  Immortals       .      .  1.50 

Greifenstein i  .50 

A      Cigarette-Maker's      Ro- 
mance, and  Khaled    .      .  1.50 
The  Witch  of  Prague   .      .  1.50 

Via  Crucis 150 

In  the  Palace  of  the  King  .  1.50 


MARIKT  1  A     A    Maul    <,t    Venice          "   I  !„•    ,v  •  •-.    i 

.  .    .  . 

.      I- 

•      .       !  ,  .   ,  i      \ ' , . , .  i .  ,      r  1 1     i  , '..  i ;         \ 

'  .  •  • 

;     i  •  " 


CORLKONK     A   Talc  of   Sicily 


AN  AMERICAN  POLITICIAN 
I'o-iMy  Mr.  Cniwl'or!'^   !    ... 

a   -a'e.;1,!,!!'!  ,uain>t   >h;  ~.   A 
i:it   i  a   pha>c-  of  jioilt;.  -  'A  r.i:   •. 
illarK.lijIe ."  —  /V.v/.-,,.  -    /•-.(/./-. 

TO  LEEWARD.      "  It  i..  ., 
ZOROASTER.       -  A-   ,  ::.  .:;.. -: 


THE  CHILDREN  OF  THE  KING. —  "( >ne  nf  tlm  most  arti>ti.   and  ex-itii-itriy  tini-hcd 

a...  ••->  :•.•[:•-  :'  at  Inaate.  >ea,  and  ^ky  afford,  jive  Mr  ( 'r. :,'.:•;.;  ri  i:  ..;.].  n  t;n;itie- 
I  -Jj.iA  hi,  rare  de-i  ri;-ti\e  pnwcr^.  A-  a  -A  hole  the  bo  ik  i-  -irony  and  lieatitifid 
t  .r-iuii  it-  -i:L.p',i..i'v."  —  I'Hi.'i  i  >,".''r: /••;,-. 


THE  THREE  FATES  —"  The  .-trench  of  the  ~t..ry 


KATHARINE    I.AUDERDALE. 
THE   RALSTONS.       "The  '>\h 


ADAM  JOHNSTONE  S   SON  and   A   ROSE  OF  YESTERDAY.      ''It  is  not  only  one 


SANT    ILARIO     A   Sequel   to    SaracineSCa).  —  "  A    singularly  powerful   ami   U-.u:ti!V, 

.   .   .     It  :;;]  ,  ••••,.•:.:  A  j;.,t   ls 

:..  ,-t   i:iij>ri>sivc   in       mum   ;i.  I        .    ..  r.h  >ui    uwini:  any  <>i  it;,  cl'fci  tivL-nc»   in  M-nsa- 

..      •  .:.:_!.    .ill.ll)  -i~,  ,-.:.,'.  .  :  ic-t." 

-    .  :<   -.  ,  :t    )  ,/-A-  Tribune. 


WITH    THE    IMMORTALS.        "    !  !u-    Mianjc    ct-ntral    ick'a   r,f  the    M   ry    could   have 

t'.._';  .  '.•'•••;         ...  .  y  ,  I,..;, 

••-    u   :,.-•  inaiii  n    (.ntiuX    1,1  u   t'   r   ;:..-   !ial-i:n.,i 


.  ,          ....        ,.,^1-ain 
A  CIGARETTE  MAKER'S   ROMANCE    and    KHALED.       "I:i-.,i     : 

r:::.- ;  ,.  •       .         ••    ••  ,-      ,     ii      .  •..  t- "      /•:  .</,;,•  (.„.,,,,  ;«.  /,';,..•./;>/ 

••  ;  :  .'•::••••••  t),.-    lo% 

/'-'•'- 
THE   WITCH    OF   PRAGUE        "    I":  r 


IN    THE    PALACE    OF    THE    KING     •  \    Lnvr    Storv    «f   Old    Madrid 


THK    MACMII.LAX    COMPANY 

64-66  Fifth  Avenue.  New  York 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

Santa  Barbara  College  Library 
Santa  Barbara,  California 


Return  to  desk  from  which  borrowed. 

This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 

1 


v«ej 

JUL  2 7 TO 


LI)  21-^Ort,-'-.  .'.'.' 


001  454084 


